Courts / Wicklow / Report
"Our goal is to get to the bottom of the case": filmmaker refused audio recording of Herda trial
Summary
A Polish documentary filmmaker, Robert Socha, applied to Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy at the Central Criminal Court for an audio recording of the trial of Marta Herda, a 30‑year‑old former waitress convicted of murdering 31‑year‑old Hungarian man Csaba Orsos. Herda had driven her Volkswagen Passat into a harbour, causing Orsos to drown. She had pleaded not guilty, but a jury found her guilty and she was sentenced to a mandatory life term on 28 July 2016. Herda's appeal was dismissed in March 2013. The judge explained that the courts normally do not release audio recordings or transcripts to the press, citing policy reasons. Socha said his aim was to "get to the bottom of the case" for a documentary, but the request was refused.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Our goal is to get to the bottom of the case": filmmaker refused audio recording of Herda trial. Charges or matters: the murder but a Central Criminal Court jury found her guilty and she was given the mandatory life sentence on July 28, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- March 26, 2013 Other
- July 28, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2017-11-15 Publication
Why: He told the judge who had presided over Polish woman Marta Herda's trial that he was a journalist and documentary filmmaker from Poland, and was asking for the audio court recording from her trial in order to make a documentary. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: the murder but a Central Criminal Court jury found her guilty and she was given the mandatory life sentence on July 28, 2016 (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Credit: Collins) A filmmaker has been refused access to a recording of the trial of a woman serving a life sentence for murdering a man, whose love she did not return, by driving him into a deep harbour where he drowned.
Places mentioned
Topics
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