Courts / Dublin / Report

Man has IRA membership conviction quashed

Summary

Sean Farrell, a 28‑year‑old Dublin man, had his 2012 conviction for membership in the Irish Republican Army quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal on 10 April 2014. The appeal was supported by TDs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, who had visited Farrell in prison and expressed concerns about his conviction. The Court found that the Special Criminal Court had erred by not notifying Farrell's defence of evidence presented by Garda Chief Superintendent Diarmuid O'Sullivan, who claimed Farrell had been an active IRA member over a ten‑year period. The appellate judges held that the failure to give notice rendered the evidence prejudicial and the conviction unsafe. The Court dismissed the Director of Public Prosecutions' request for a retrial, noting it would be oppressive, and confirmed that Farrell had already served two years and three months of his sentence, with release expected in five months.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man has IRA membership conviction quashed. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted

When:

• December 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
• July 7th 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2014-04-10 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

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Read the original CNI report