Shopkeeper offered me €250 cash for iPhone -- no questions asked 

I WITNESSED firsthand the lucrative industry in stolen iPhones that has sprung up around Dublin city centre -- and it couldn't be easier.

As I found a number of city shops are offering up to €250 cash to anyone offering an iPhone - no questions asked.

Despite a garda clampdown in the city centre on mobile phone thieves, I discovered many outlets eager to hand over cash for our iPhones.

Some shops even tried to press ahead with the sale of the iPhone despite being aware that it may have been stolen.

Haggle

Gardai described this week how women are targeted by thieves on bikes who whip their phones. Supt Frank Clerkin says 12 shops are known to deal in the 'hot' phones.

I couldn't believe how the shops couldn't care less when I walked in off the street offering an iPhone 4.

In one shop, I was offered €250 cash-in-hand and told it was "not important" where I got it.

Other shops directly asked what price I wanted for the phone and was willing to haggle with me for minutes while other customers were just metres away.

Today TDs expressed alarm at our investigation and called for greater powers to be given to gardai to crack down on shops that knowingly handle stolen goods, including iPhones and other smartphones.

Dublin Central TD Maureen O'Sullivan told the Herald that the findings are "extremely worrying".

"This is something I've been aware of for quite some time but the fact it is so easily done is worrying," said the Independent TD.

"It's very good to hear that gardai are addressing the spate of iPhone theft in the city, but it's not surprising that it's happening when people are able to sell them for hundreds of euro.

"Clearly there are loopholes that allow these shops to handle stolen goods so there is major scope for this problem to be addressed."

And Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath said the actions of the shops were "fuelling" the problem.

"If shops are accepting stolen goods, this needs to be taken very seriously," he said.

"People who have been victims of these crimes have been left extremely distressed, let alone out of pocket," he added.

"I'm calling on the Minister for Justice to hit this issue on the head before it spirals out of control," he added.

Memories

Gardai revealed this week that unscrupulous store owners are buying the newly stolen handsets off street thieves, wiping the phone memories and selling them on.

Garda Supt Frank Clerkin, of Store Street Garda Station, said gardai have identified 12 shops on the northside of the city but did not name the premises.

Extra gardai are now being deployed in Dublin's business districts in response to the spate of iPhone thefts in the capital. 

'Fly Irish flag at half-mast' fury

EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger is facing demands for his resignation after calling for the Irish tricolour to be flown at half-mast in Brussels.

Irish MEPs have slammed the remarks made by the German commissioner.

Mr Oettinger said he wanted to lower the flag of countries with bad debts before the buildings of the EU as a "symbolic" message to "humiliate".

He told German newspaper Bild that there were "deficit sinners" who needed "unconventional" treatment to help them mend their ways

"There has been the suggestion of flying the flags of deficit sinners at half mast in front of EU buildings," the member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats said. "It would just be a symbol, but would still be a big deterrent."

Now Mr Oettinger is facing demands for his resignation after a group of Euro MPs have written a formal complaint stating he should either "apologise or quit".

Independent MEP Marian Harkin said that the suggestion was "ludicrous and an insult to every founding value of the EU".

She said that it was "misguided at best, dangerous and incendiary at worst".

Labour Party MEP Phil Prendergast said it would divide the nations of Europe. "This is totally at odds with EU values, and unhelpful at a time when states most affected by the financial crisis struggle to get public acceptance for their efforts to bring debt under control."

The letter reads: "Any true pro-European is proud to see our flags flying side by side, 'united in diversity'. Mr Oettinger should retract and recant his words or resign."

Government chief whip Paul Keogh said he was taken aback. "Ireland is top of the class when it comes to meeting its IMF and EU commitments," he said.

Fuming Martin slams 'dysfunctional' Shinners 

FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin launched a scathing attack on Sinn Fein as he concluded his party's two-day think-in.

Mr Martin was responding to weekend comments made by Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness when he said Sinn Fein is aiming to overtake Fianna Fail electorally.

But Mr Martin angrily slammed Sinn Fein's performance in the Northern Ireland Executive as "dysfunctional" and said he isn't concerned.

He said: "Fianna Fail's focus is on the people of Ireland, it's not playing political games.

"I don't look over my shoulder. We as a political party exist to develop policies, programmes and core values that can be of value to the Irish people.

"Others certainly, like Martin McGuinness, can look over their shoulders at us, that's their business. I'm not going to be shaped or influenced by the machinations of other political parties or what they are about."

His attack on Mr McGuinness comes as speculation mounted that the Sinn Fein leader in the Northern Executive could be the party's candidate for the presidential election.

Sinn Fein is determined to enter the presidential race in an effort to trump Fianna Fail, which has decided it should not contest the election.

The former Minister for Foreign Affairs said he had first hand experience of how poorly Sinn Fein had performed in the Northern Ireland Executive.

He said: "Just look at Sinn Fein's performance in government in Northern Ireland, it's been pretty poor in terms of their executive responsibilities.

"The Northern Ireland Executive, unfortunately, had been dysfunctional for too long because of the quality of the input of parties like Sinn Fein.

"I had experience of this as Foreign Affairs Minister, when I was involved in devolution of justice, for example.

"When you're a political party you have to act like a political party. It's not just about winning seats and numbers."

The former minister spoke out during a press conference to conclude Fianna Fail's think-in which took place to discuss a strategy for the new Dail session, which begins today.

Call for pope to be tried for 'crimes against humanity'

THE International Criminal Court has been asked to investigate Pope Benedict and three cardinals for alleged crimes against humanity by sheltering clergymen who are guilty of sexually abusing children.

Ten alleged victims and lawyers from the Centre for Constitutional Rights, a New York non-profit group, arrived at The Hague yesterday to file a detailed complaint against the Pope and Vatican officials, accusing them of maintaining a "long-standing and pervasive system of sexual violence".

The complaint names the Pope in part for his former role as leader of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was responsible for overseeing abuse cases.

Cardinal William Levada, who now holds that position, is also named, along with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, and his predecessor, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

Pam Spees, an attorney for the New York group, said that the men were "responsible for rape and other sexual violence and for the physicaland psychological torture of victims around the world both through command responsibility and direct cover up of crimes".

"They should be brought to trial, like any other officials guilty of crimes against humanity," she said.

The Vatican said it had no immediate comment on the complaint, and has in the past maintained that direct responsibility over priests accused of child abuse is held by bishops, rather than by officials at the top of the Church hierarchy.

It is unclear whether the International Criminal Court would have the jurisdiction over the Holy See, which is not a member state of the court.