Courts / Roscommon / Report
Reserved judgement in State's bid to dismiss Peter Pringle damages claim
Summary
The High Court has reserved judgement in the State's application to dismiss a damages claim brought by Peter Pringle. Pringle, an applicant, was originally sentenced to death for the murder of gardaí John Morley and Henry Byrne during a 1980 bank robbery in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon. His sentence was later commuted to 40 years imprisonment, of which he served 14 years and ten months until his conviction was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 1995. He now alleges the State was negligent and breached his constitutional rights by failing to disclose crucial evidence before his trial. The State seeks dismissal of the claim, initiated in the mid-1990s, citing inordinate delay, while Pringle denies any delay on his part. Additionally, Pringle has brought a separate motion for the State to discover documents related to a 2002 DNA analysis by the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham. This analysis compared hair samples from the robbery vehicle with a voluntary blood sample provided by Pringle in 1994. The State informed Pringle's lawyers in 2003 that the results provided strong support for the hair originating from him. Pringle believes this report is intended to halt his damages claim and seeks the associated paperwork, which he claims has not been provided. The State denies these claims and opposes the discovery motion. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart reserved judgement on both applications following submissions from both parties.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Reserved judgement in State's bid to dismiss Peter Pringle damages claim. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- July 1980 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2018-02-02 Publication
Why: Mr Pringle claims the State was negligent and breached his constitutional rights because crucial evidence was not disclosed to him before his trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Outcome: He was originally sentenced to death for the murder of gardaí John Morley and Henry Byrne but his sentence was later commuted to 40 years imprisonment, of which he served 14 years and ten months until his conviction was quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal in 1995.
Places mentioned
- The High Court
- Special Criminal Court
Topics
Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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