Other News In Brief

PSNI's Cyber Support Unit Welcomes Conviction

Detectives from PSNI's Cyber Support Unit have welcomed the conviction of a Craigavon man for the importation, possession and sale of R4 cards.

These devices allow the seller to upload hundreds of Nintendo DS games onto the one micro SD card, bypassing the technological measures found on the console. One card can store upwards of £6000 worth of games, leading to a substantial loss of revenue for Nintendo.

On Tuesday 29 January, 34-year-old Ciaran Fox was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Detective Lyness said "This investigation was the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and I welcome today's sentencing. Organisations such as Nintendo Europe depend on their intellectual property and this type of theft impacts on the livelihoods of those working in the gaming and technology industries.

"Mr Fox sold thousands of these R4 cards across Europe under a number of pseudonyms over a nine year period, denying knowledge that selling such devices was illegal. I would like to reiterate that this type of activity is illegal and carries serious consequences including a criminal record and potential custodial sentence. I would appeal to anyone with information on this type of activity to contact detectives in PSNI's Cyber Support Unit by calling 101 or alternatively you can speak anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

A Nintendo spokesperson said "Nintendo would like to thank PSNI for its efforts in investigating this matter. To protect against piracy of its games, as well as those developed and published by third parties, Nintendo will continue to support criminal investigations against sellers of circumvention devices or modding services."

Man Arrested After Armed Robbery Of NI Service Station

A man has been arrested after reports of a knife-wielding man at a petrol station in Coleraine.

The incident happened on the Bushmills Road at around 7.45pm on Wednesday 30 January.

A 27-year-old man has been detained after he was arrested in the Glenvara Drive area.

He remains in police custody assisting with enquiries.

Anyone with information which may be of use to the investigation is asked to contact detectives at Coleraine CID by calling 101, quoting reference 1273 of 30/01/19.

-8C Recorded At Katesbridge In Co Down

The lowest temperature on the island of Ireland was recorded last night in Katesbridge, Co Down.

A temperature of -8.1C was recorded at the hamlet, which is renowned for being the coldest place in the UK. It is understood that the hamlet is in a hollow which sees a build up of cold air.

-6.1C was recorded at Magilligan on the North Coast, with -4.5C at Aldergrove in County Antrim, -4.3C at Derrylin in County Fermanagh, and -4.1C at Murlough in County Down.

(MH/CM)