Acquitted law lecturer awarded legal aid scale costs after murder trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Diarmuid Phelan, acquitted of murder by a Central Criminal Court jury in January, has been awarded costs on the legal aid scale. The ruling was made in late September by trial judge Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford.

The costs incurred by Phelan, including defence experts, were estimated at about €1.25 million. Legal sources said the award could cover about half of that bill. The judge said an unrestricted award was not appropriate, but that legal aid scale costs would meet the justice of the situation; she expected they would cover his two senior and two junior counsel and most experts.

The judge said the jury’s verdict was the starting point for considering costs and found Phelan entitled to them. She said awarding costs was not an adverse comment on the DPP’s decision to prosecute. The parties could apply to her if they disputed particular costs.