'Middle man' in Irene White murder gets legal aid for psychiatrist

Niall Power, aged 51 and formerly of Riverstown, County Louth, has been granted legal aid to obtain a psychiatric assessment as he pursues an appeal against his conviction for the 2005 murder of Irene White in Dundalk. Power pleaded guilty to murder in 2019 and received a mandatory life sentence, but is now challenging that conviction on the basis that he was experiencing significant mental health difficulties at the time he entered his plea. Power's role in the killing was described as that of an intermediary. He conveyed a request from an unnamed third party to have the 43-year-old woman murdered, introduced the eventual perpetrator to that party, and facilitated the commission of the offence. Anthony Lambe of Annadrumman, Castleblayney, County Monaghan, carried out the fatal stabbing in April 2005 and was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2018 after admitting guilt. Power handed himself in to gardaí the day after Lambe's conviction. At the Court of Appeal on 17 January, Mr Justice John Edwards approved the legal aid application to fund the psychiatric evaluation, which will establish Power's mental state at the time of his admission to custody. The judge adjourned proceedings to 14 March, directing that an affidavit setting out the grounds for an application to extend time to appeal must be filed beforehand. The appeal window has expired, necessitating this formal extension request. Power's legal representatives have indicated their intention to argue that the guilty plea should be set aside on mental health grounds. The case remains one of significant local concern in the Monaghan and Louth border region, particularly as a third party allegedly orchestrated the murder but has never been prosecuted.