Alan Harte kidnapping and torture appeal adjourned

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

Alan Harte’s appeal against his kidnapping and torture convictions was adjourned for three months by the Court of Appeal on 18 December 2024. The appeal followed three days of legal submissions before a three-judge court, with Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy speaking on behalf of the court.

The appeal argued that DNA evidence from a van destroyed by fire in Garda custody should not have been admitted at trial. It also challenged the handling of phone records and CCTV evidence, including whether witnesses from a voir dire hearing should have been recalled and sworn again.

The proceedings were reported on 18 December 2024.