2026-01-27 ยท Cork
Chef who dismembered victim criticises judge's charge at murder trial
Ionut Cosmin Nicolescu, a chef convicted of the murder of Frankie Dunne, has appealed his conviction to the Court of Appeal. Nicolescu, who pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dunne at Castle Greine House, Cork, between December 27th and 28th, 2019, was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison in April 2023. His legal team argues that the trial judge's Section 10 corroboration warning regarding an uncorroborated confession was improper, describing it as a "bullet-point presentation of the prosecution case" rather than a neutral instruction. The prosecution case alleged that Nicolescu violently killed Dunne and subsequently dismembered him, hiding the remains in the property's grounds. While Nicolescu initially accepted the verdict, he later exercised his right to appeal. The defence contended the judge exceeded the narrow scope of the warning by reciting the prosecution's best points. In response, the Director of Public Prosecutions argued the case did not rely solely on the confession and that the judge's instruction was necessary given the confession's retraction. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice John Edwards, reserved judgment on the appeal.