State "cleansed" jury of people from Cabra, Ballymun & Finglas, appeal lawyers claim

The Court of Appeal heard submissions today regarding an appeal against conviction brought by a Ballymun man sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment for his role in a conspiracy to steal from a cash facility at a supermarket in Cellbridge in 2007. The appellant's counsel contended that jury selection at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was procedurally unfair, alleging that the Director of Public Prosecutions systematically excluded potential jurors with addresses in Ballymun, Cabra and Finglas without individual examination. Counsel for the prosecution submitted that excluding residents from three limited Dublin areas did not prevent the empanelling of a broadly representative jury, and that geographical location constituted a legitimate basis for juror objection related to trial integrity rather than individual juror impartiality. The Court of Appeal, comprising three judges, reserved its decision.