Christopher McDonald challenged murder conviction in appeal

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

Christopher McDonald appealed against his conviction for the murder of Keith Walker. The Court of Appeal delivered a judgment electronically on 24 June 2021.

McDonald was convicted on 10 July 2017 after a 15-day trial at the Central Criminal Court. He was charged with murdering Walker at Blanchardstown Racing Pigeon Club in Clonsilla on 12 June 2015.

The judgment said Walker drove to the club in a car belonging to Jason O'Connor and was shot shortly after getting out. Eyewitnesses described a person who appeared to be a woman taking a submachine gun from a handbag and opening fire.

Among the grounds of appeal was a challenge to the trial judge’s refusal to discharge the jury after prosecution witness Jason O'Connor threatened to kill McDonald in open court in the jury’s presence. McDonald also challenged the admission of forensic samples and CCTV and witness evidence. Some other grounds were not pursued.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.