Courts / Limerick / Report

House-party murderers fail in appeal

Date
2020-11-09

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Pallasgreen

Summary

Two Limerick men, Dylan Hayes (25) and Gerard Hogan (37), were found guilty of murdering Shane Murphy at a house‑party in Pallasgreen on 30 April 2015. The jury convicted them of murder after evidence showed Hayes stabbed Murphy repeatedly with a knife, while Hogan allegedly assisted by attacking with a screwdriver and encouraging Hayes. The trial judge imposed a mandatory life sentence on both. In May 2024 the Court of Appeal dismissed appeals by both men. The appellate panel found no error in the trial judge's instructions on provocation or on joint enterprise, and concluded there was no evidence that Hogan had withdrawn from the attack. The appeals were therefore rejected, leaving the convictions and life sentences intact.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: House-party murderers fail in appeal. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

April 30, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
May 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
2020-11-09 Publication

Why: Ms Crowe explained that Mr Bowman, for Hogan, had suggested that his client had either not fully participated in the attack or withdrawn from it but she said this had not been borne out by the witnesses who heard and saw what was happening in the room at the time. CNI source report