'New evidence' that man who murdered retired broker had mental illness

Simon McGinley (38) appeared before the Court of Appeal on 14 October seeking to have his murder conviction quashed on the basis of new psychiatric evidence. McGinley was convicted in April 2014 of murdering Eugene Gillespie (67) at a residence on Old Market Street, Sligo, on 19 September 2012. He had initially pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea the State rejected. Evidence presented to the three-judge court indicated McGinley was displaying symptoms of schizophrenia at the time of the attack, a matter not considered during his trial. Defence counsel argued the defendant's mental state was directly relevant to the question of intent and that the jury should have been afforded the opportunity to consider this material. State counsel contended that mental disorder alone could not form the basis for overturning a conviction previously reaffirmed on appeal in 2016. Mr Justice George Birmingham reserved judgment. McGinley remains serving a life sentence.