Courts / Kildare / Report

Court upholds conviction of courier jailed for life for baseball bat murder

Summary

Zoltan Almasi, a 46‑year‑old Hungarian national living in Harbour View, Naas, was convicted of murdering 20‑year‑old Joseph Dunne with a baseball bat on 16 May 2014. The Central Criminal Court found him guilty after 11 hours of deliberation and imposed a mandatory life sentence on 16 March 2016. Almasi, who worked for a courier company, had previously lived alone and had moved to Ireland after becoming a Hungarian national in 2007. He appealed the conviction, arguing that the partial defence of provocation should have been left to the jury. His barrister, Dominic McGinn SC, claimed that drunken youths had damaged his van, provoking Almasi. The Court of Appeal, led by Mr Justice John Edwards, dismissed the appeal, holding that the trial judge had not applied an overly rigorous standard and that the evidence did not conclusively show a total loss of self‑control.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court upholds conviction of courier jailed for life for baseball bat murder. Charges or matters: murdering Joseph Dunne at his home address on May 16 2014. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• May 16 2014 Incident
• March 16, 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2018-07-26 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report