Alan Vial appeals murder conviction at Court of Appeal

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

Alan Vial appealed his murder conviction at the Court of Appeal on 23 July 2026, arguing that his trial alongside Nikita Burns prejudiced the jury.

Vial’s counsel said the jury heard Burns’s admissions blaming Vial for the fatal blows, despite the trial judge’s warning that one defendant’s statements could not be used as evidence against the other. Vial accepted that he was present when Robert Wilkin was killed and helped put his body over the cliffs, but denied striking him.

The prosecution argued there was ample evidence of Vial’s guilt independent of Burns’s statements. A three-judge Court of Appeal panel reserved judgment after the hearing.