Reserved judgement in State's bid to dismiss Peter Pringle damages claim

The High Court has reserved judgement on the State's application to dismiss a damages claim brought by Peter Pringle, whose murder conviction was overturned in 1995 after he served nearly fifteen years in prison. Pringle was originally convicted by the Special Criminal Court of murdering two gardaí during a bank robbery in Ballaghaderren, County Roscommon, in 1980, and received a death sentence later commuted to forty years. He claims the State was negligent and breached his constitutional rights by failing to disclose crucial evidence before trial. The State seeks dismissal citing inordinate delay, whilst Pringle denies responsibility for any delay. Justice Carmel Stewart also reserved judgement on Pringle's separate motion for discovery of documents relating to DNA analysis conducted by the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham in 2002. The analysis concerned hair samples from a vehicle involved in the robbery and a blood sample provided by Pringle in 1994.