Christopher McNamara appeal dismissed over murder conviction

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

Christopher McNamara’s appeal against his murder conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 3 March 2017. He had been convicted after a trial in the Central Criminal Court and sentenced to life imprisonment on 24 January 2014.

The appeal argued that the trial judge had failed to explain clearly enough the distinction between murder and manslaughter. The Court of Appeal held that the jury had been properly directed to consider the ingredients of murder and could return manslaughter if that charge was not proved.

The court concluded that the charge was satisfactory in the circumstances and was not persuaded that the verdict was unsafe or that the trial had been unsatisfactory.