Courts / Dublin / Report

Mother acquitted of impeding arrest of son who beat his fiancée

Summary

Geraldine McMenamy, 48, of Tallaght, Dublin, was acquitted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of two charges of assisting an offender by impeding the apprehension or prosecution of her son, Paul McMenamy. The defendant pleaded not guilty to allegations that she assisted her son in escaping justice following an assault on care worker Nicola Murray on February 5, 2012. The State alleged that on February 8, 2012, Ms. McMenamy took her son to Dublin Airport and provided him with €400 cash to facilitate his departure. Judge Martin Nolan directed a not-guilty verdict on the charge of providing transport, citing a lack of evidence that she was driving the vehicle. A jury subsequently acquitted her of the charge of providing money. The court heard that Mr. McMenamy had assaulted Ms. Murray, leaving her unconscious, and was later arrested at a hotel near the airport with a one-way ticket to Manchester. In 2013, Mr. McMenamy was sentenced to six years, with one year suspended, after pleading guilty to assault causing serious harm to Ms. Murray. The defence argued that the defendant acted out of fear and that her son was a free man not yet charged. The matter was concluded with the acquittal of the defendant.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Mother acquitted of impeding arrest of son who beat his fiancée. Charges or matters: two charges of assisting an offender by impeding the apprehension or prosecution of her son Paul McMenamy at locations in Dublin on February 8, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• February 8, 2012 Incident
• February 5, 2012 Incident
• February 8 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2005 and 2008 Incident
• 2014-12-09 Publication

Why: She said she suspected he had caused the injuries to Ms Murray because of his violent history and said she was in fear of him, adding: "There's something wrong with Paul. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report