Courts / Offaly / Report

Pair appeal convictions for savage murder of Thomas Dooley

Date
2021-05-19

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Edenderry

County
Offaly

Summary

The Court of Appeal has heard appeals from Matthew Cummins and James Davy against their convictions for the murder of Thomas Dooley. Sean Davy, the third convicted person, previously failed in a 2018 bid to overturn his conviction. All three men were found guilty by a unanimous jury at the Central Criminal Court in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2014 killing of the 64-year-old Offaly man. During the trial, the accused offered conflicting accounts, with Cummins and Davy blaming each other for the fatal blows, while Davy denied involvement. In the current appeal, counsel for Cummins argued that the trial judge's directions on joint enterprise were biased and that the indictment should have been severed. Counsel for Davy similarly contended that the judge's directions were confusing and that his client's reasonable excuse of fear was not properly addressed. The prosecution, represented by Patrick Treacy SC, maintained that all three men were intrinsically involved in the savage attack. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justice George Birmingham with Justices John Edwards and Isobel Kennedy, reserved its judgment on these applications.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Pair appeal convictions for savage murder of Thomas Dooley. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

February 12, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
February 11 Incident
2021-05-19 Publication

Why: Ms Biggs said that a knife handle found at the scene and a text message found during the investigation were critical matters that were crucial to her client's credibility, and which she said showed motive on the part of the Davy cousins. CNI source report