Benko’s attempted murder conviction appeal dismissed

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

Benko’s appeal against his conviction for attempting to murder his wife was dismissed by the Irish Court of Appeal. The judgment was reported on 14 May 2021.

The conviction arose from an attack on 5 July 2010, when the Defendant struck his sleeping wife with a lump hammer. He admitted most facts but disputed that he intended to kill her. The court held that the common-law presumption concerning the natural and probable consequences of actions could apply to attempted murder, and found the trial judge’s direction legally correct and sufficiently clear.