Courts / Wicklow / Report
Cheating husband appeals conviction for bludgeoning woman to death
Summary
Roy Webster, 42, of Ashbree, Ashford, Co Wicklow, was convicted of murder for bludgeoning Anne Shortall, 47, to death with a hammer on 3 April 2015. Webster claimed he was provoked after Shortall threatened to inform his wife of their affair. He was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court and sentenced to mandatory life imprisonment by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on 24 March 2017. On 17 December 2019, Webster lodged an appeal in the Court of Appeal, challenging the trial judge's instructions on the defence of provocation. His barrister, Michael Bowman SC, argued that the test for provocation should be subjective, based on Webster's state of mind, rather than the objective standard used by the judge. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice George Birmingham, is expected to deliver a decision on 20 December 2019. The appeal focuses solely on the provocation defence and does not address any other aspects of the case.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Cheating husband appeals conviction for bludgeoning woman to death. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- April 3, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 24, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
- Friday, December 20 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 20, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 9 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 2 Other
- December 20 Other
- Christmas night Other
- 2019-12-17 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Outcome: However he was unanimously found guilty of murder by a jury at the Central Criminal Court and was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on March 24, 2017.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
- The Central Criminal Court
Topics
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