Courts / Cork / Report
Grieving mother relieved as murderer's latest appeal is dismissed
Summary
Anne Dunlea, mother of the 36‑year‑old murdered in Passage West, said she was relieved after the Court of Appeal dismissed the latest appeal by Darren Murphy, 42, who had been convicted of murder in 2018. Murphy had admitted killing Olivia Dunlea and setting fire to her home, but denied it was murder. He had been found guilty in 2014, had that conviction quashed, was retried in 2017 with a hung jury, and was convicted again in 2018. The appeal was dismissed on 10 March 2020, ending a six‑year legal saga that included three trials and two appeals. Anne Dunlea, present at all proceedings, expressed relief that the case was finally concluded and that she could begin to grieve properly. The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction and rejected the defence's arguments about provocation and character. The decision was announced by Mr Justice George Birmingham, with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Grieving mother relieved as murderer's latest appeal is dismissed. Charges or matters: murder by a Central Criminal Court jury in 2014, but his conviction was subsequently quashed over the then trial judge's instructions to the jury on the defence of provocation. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- February 17, 2013 Other
- 2020-03-10 Publication
Why: Murphy also admitted setting fire to Ms Dunlea's home because, he claimed, he "didn't want the kids to find her". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: murder by a Central Criminal Court jury in 2014, but his conviction was subsequently quashed over the then trial judge's instructions to the jury on the defence of provocation (Proven)
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty
Convicted Person
Charges: murder by a Central Criminal Court jury in 2014, but his conviction was subsequently quashed over the then trial judge's instructions to the jury on the defence of provocation (Proven)
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty
Places mentioned
- Cork
- Pembroke Crescent
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
- The Central Criminal Court
Topics
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