Court archive
Court reports mentioning Ballintober, Roscommon
2018-05-08 · Dublin
The Court of Appeal has upheld the murder conviction of Mark Nash for the killings of two women in Grangegorman, Dublin, in 1997. A three-judge panel, led by Mr Justice Alan Mahon, dismissed all grounds of appeal on 8 May 2018. Nash was convicted in 2015 of murdering the two victims, whose bodies were discovered in sheltered accommodation two decades after the crimes. He received a mandatory life sentence. The court found the trial was conducted fairly and the verdict was justified by evidence. Nash's appeal centred on challenges to his admissions to gardaí, forensic evidence including DNA found on his jacket, and the lawfulness of evidence seizure. The judges concluded the scientific evidence did not prove contamination and that a jury could reasonably determine the DNA profiles were present from the time of the murders. Nash is already serving life imprisonment for two further murders committed in Roscommon in 1997.
2017-12-20 · Dublin
The Court of Appeal has reserved judgement in the appeal of Mark Nash against his 2015 conviction for two murders in Grangegorman, Dublin, committed in March 1997. Nash, originally from England with Dublin addresses, was sentenced to life imprisonment following a jury verdict after a forty-eight-day trial. He was already serving life for murders committed in Ballintober, County Roscommon, in August 1997. The appeal centred on DNA evidence recovered from Nash's jacket during forensic examination and his admissions to gardaí. Defence counsel challenged the reliability of the DNA findings, citing potential contamination and procedural irregularities in the investigation, including delayed disclosure of evidence and the absence of a search warrant. The prosecution argued the case against Nash was compelling, citing the DNA evidence, his admissions, and forensic findings including matching boot prints. The three-judge panel, presided over by Mr Justice Alan Mahon, reserved decision. The unnamed 44-year-old pleaded not guilty.
2017-11-08 · Dublin
The Court of Appeal hearing into Mark Nash's conviction for the 1997 Grangegorman murders in Dublin will conclude in December. Nash, aged 44, was found guilty in 2015 of murdering two women whose bodies were discovered in sheltered accommodation two decades earlier. He received a mandatory life sentence. Nash is also serving a life term for a double killing in Ballintober, County Roscommon, committed five months prior. His appeal challenges the DNA evidence linking him to the Dublin murders and raises concerns about potential contamination during forensic examination. The defence also contends his detention was unlawful and questions the circumstances of his admissions. The prosecution maintains the case against Nash is compelling, citing his confessions alongside forensic evidence and footwear matching. Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions argued contamination would require an implausible series of coincidences. Replying submissions are scheduled for December 20th before the three-judge appellate panel.
2017-11-07 · Roscommon
Mark Nash is appealing his 2015 conviction for the murder of two women whose bodies were discovered in sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman twenty years earlier. Nash was found guilty at the Central Criminal Court and received a mandatory life sentence. He had already been serving life imprisonment for two murders committed in Ballintober, County Roscommon in 1997. At the Court of Appeal hearing, Nash's counsel challenged the forensic evidence, particularly DNA findings on a jacket seized during the investigation. The defence contended there was a risk of contamination at the State's Forensic Science Laboratory. The Director of Public Prosecutions' counsel argued the contamination theory required "a mind boggling series of coincidences" and submitted the case against Nash was "coercive and compelling" based on his admissions, DNA evidence, and footprint matches. The three-judge court reserved judgment.
2017-11-06 · Dublin
A man convicted of two murders in Dublin two decades ago has initiated an appeal against his conviction at the Court of Appeal. The defendant was found guilty in 2015 of the killings, which occurred in 1997 at sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman, and received a mandatory life sentence. He had previously been convicted of two further murders committed in Roscommon in the same year. His legal team contended that the case presented extraordinary difficulties, particularly as another individual had previously confessed to the same Dublin offences before his death. Senior counsel for the appellant raised concerns regarding forensic procedures, including potential contamination of evidence and late disclosure of material to the defence. Questions were also raised regarding the lawfulness of his detention and the circumstances surrounding a search of his premises. The prosecution's case relied principally on the defendant's admissions and forensic findings. The three-judge panel heard arguments over three days at the Court of Appeal.
2017-05-22 · Dublin
Mark Nash is to appeal one of his murder convictions in the Court of Appeal. Nash was convicted in 2015 of murdering two women whose bodies were discovered in sheltered accommodation in Dublin in 1997. The 44-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the charges at the Central Criminal Court but was found unanimously guilty and received a mandatory life sentence in April 2015. Nash is already serving a life sentence imposed in October 1998 for a separate double murder committed in Ballintober, County Roscommon, and for seriously injuring a woman in August 1997. The Court of Appeal fixed 7 November as the date for the appeal hearing, which is expected to last three days.
2016-07-01 · Dublin
A five-judge Supreme Court heard an application by convicted serial killer Mark Nash seeking damages over delays in his prosecution for murders in Dublin. Nash is serving a life sentence following his conviction for the 1997 killings of two women at sheltered housing in Grangegorman, a conviction now under appeal. He had previously been convicted of murders in Ballintober, County Roscommon in 1997. Nash's legal team argued he was treated as a suspect for twelve years before being charged in 2009, ten years after the Director of Public Prosecutions directed that charges be brought. Counsel contended the delay breached Nash's constitutional and human rights to a trial conducted with due expedition. The application also raised concerns regarding forensic evidence handling at the laboratory. The Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the application, arguing the decision to charge Nash was appropriately timed. The Chief Justice indicated the court would reserve its decision on the matter.
2015-04-20 · Dublin
Mark Nash has been found guilty of murdering two women at sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman, Dublin, in March 1997. A Central Criminal Court jury returned a unanimous verdict after deliberating for over four hours on Monday, 20 April 2015. The trial lasted 48 days, during which 71 witnesses gave evidence. Nash, 42, originally from England with Dublin addresses, had pleaded not guilty to the murders of Sylvia Sheils, aged 59, and Mary Callanan, aged 61. The prosecution's case rested on admissions made by Nash, forensic evidence including DNA found on his jacket, and a caterpillar boot print discovered at the scene. Nash is already serving a life sentence for murders committed in Ballintober, Castlerea, County Roscommon, in August 1997. Mr Justice Carroll Moran imposed a life sentence for the Grangegorman murders. The case had remained unsolved for eighteen years before a DNA breakthrough in 2009 led to Nash's formal charging in October of that year.
2015-03-05 · Dublin
At the Central Criminal Court, a Garda Chief Superintendent gave evidence regarding the retrieval of clothing from the Dublin home of Mark Nash, aged 42, who stands accused of murdering two women in Grangegorman sheltered accommodation in March 1997. Chief Superintendent Dominic Hayes testified that he obtained a black pin-striped velvet jacket and boots from a flat on Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3, following a statement from a witness in August 1997. The prosecution maintains that DNA evidence subsequently recovered from the jacket provided a breakthrough in the case. Nash has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Sylvia Shields, aged 60, and Mary Callanan, aged 61. During cross-examination, defence counsel challenged the seizure of the boots and questioned investigative focus on another suspect. Retired detective exhibits officers confirmed the secure storage and handling of seized items. The trial proceedings continued.
2015-03-03 · Roscommon
A jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard evidence from a retired detective sergeant regarding the 1997 murders of two women in Grangegorman, Dublin. Mark Nash, aged 42, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan on 6 and 7 March 1997. Detective Sergeant David Lynch testified about questioning another suspect, Martin Stafford, in relation to the killings. During cross-examination, the defence counsel raised questions about the adequacy of the investigation and whether relevant information about Stafford's movements had been properly pursued. The court also heard evidence concerning Nash's alleged voluntary disclosure to gardaí in Galway on 17 August 1997 regarding crimes committed in Dublin five months earlier. Justice Carroll Moran adjourned proceedings to address a legal issue that emerged during testimony, with the jury directed to return on Wednesday.
2015-03-02 · Roscommon
At the Central Criminal Court, a jury heard statements from the former partner of Mark Nash, who is charged with the murder of two women in March 1997. Nash, aged 42, has pleaded not guilty to the murders of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan between March 6 and 7, 1997. State counsel read two statements from Sarah Jane Doyle, describing how she met Nash in a Dublin nightclub in late March 1997 and subsequently began a relationship with him. The court heard Nash claimed to have family connections in Ballina, County Mayo. The second statement was taken after Doyle received a letter from Nash whilst receiving treatment at Beaumont Hospital, following an assault at a house in Ballintober, County Roscommon on August 16, 1997. A handwriting expert from An Garda Síochána testified that letters attributed to Nash displayed consistent characteristics and were written fluently without hesitation or disguise. The trial continues.