Courts / Dublin / Report
Identity of mother accused of murdering three children can be published
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, Mr Justice Paul Coffey lifted a reporting restriction that had previously barred the publication of the identity of Deirdre Morley, a 44‑year‑old mother charged with murdering her three children. The restriction had been imposed after a Court of Appeal ruling that Section 252 of the Children Act 2001 prohibited identifying child victims, including deceased ones. Morley, who lives in Parson's Court, Newcastle, Co. Dublin, faces charges for the deaths of her sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7) and daughter Carla (3), whose bodies were found at their family home on 24 January. The Children (Amendment) Act 2021, which came into force last week, removed the blanket prohibition on naming deceased children, allowing the court to grant the order. The defence had originally applied for the protection, and the Director of Public Prosecutions had not objected.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Identity of mother accused of murdering three children can be published. Charges or matters: murdering her sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7) and her daughter Carla (3). Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- January 24 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2021-05-13 Publication
Why: Last November at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Michael White ruled that the accused Deirdre Morley, who had been previously named by the media, could no longer be named or identified because the case concerned an alleged offence against her children. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: murdering her sons Conor (9) and Darragh (7) and her daughter Carla (3) (Alleged Or Contested)
Places mentioned
Topics
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