Courts / Galway / Report

Victim "under influence of morphine" at time of statements, hijacking appeal hears

Summary

John Conroy, 24, was convicted of 13 counts of dangerous driving and public endangerment after hijacking a car and leading a high‑speed chase through Galway city on 31 May 2016. He was found guilty by a jury at the Galway Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to six‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended. Conroy appealed his conviction, arguing that the car‑owner's out‑of‑court statement was inadmissible because the witness, Thomas Ackroyd, was under the influence of morphine when he made the statement and could only recall about 2 % of its contents. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal, which centres on whether the safeguards for admitting such statements were met. The appeal will be heard after the Court of Appeal's decision is announced. The case remains at the appeal stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Victim "under influence of morphine" at time of statements, hijacking appeal hears. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• May 31, 2016 Other
• 2019-11-11 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Road Traffic Stage Appeal

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Read the original CNI report