Courts / Dublin / Report
IRA man's conviction for taking part in secret 'interrogations' is upheld
Summary
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of Damien Metcalfe (34), upholding his conviction for membership of an unlawful organisation, the IRA. Metcalfe was found guilty by the Special Criminal Court in November 2015 and sentenced to two years and six months in May 2019. The trial court found that he played a supporting and logistical role in IRA interrogations of suspected informants at Riverwood Park, Castleknock, in August 2015. The appellate court rejected arguments that the opinion evidence of Chief Superintendent Anthony Howard should have been excluded, stating the remaining evidence was "cogent in the extreme." The court also upheld the trial judge's findings regarding Metcalfe's presence and participation. In a separate matter mentioned in the report, Conor Metcalfe (28), Damien's brother, was previously found guilty of IRA membership by the three-judge court in December 2018 and jailed for four years and six months. The Court of Appeal also recently upheld the convictions and sentences of five other individuals involved in the same Castleknock inquiries, rejecting appeals from both the defendants and the DPP regarding the severity or leniency of their respective sentences.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: IRA man's conviction for taking part in secret 'interrogations' is upheld. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- November 24, 2015 Incident
- May 2019 Incident
- August 7 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 7th Other
- August 8th, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-07-01 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Outcome: Conor Metcalfe (28) was previously found guilty of IRA membership by the three-judge court in December 2018 and jailed for four years and six months.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Special Criminal Court
- Riverwood Park
Topics
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