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Not guilty direction in shotgun blast trial
Summary
David Ward, 36, of The Beeches, Clonshaugh, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm after shots were fired into his cousin John Ward's home at 2 am on 17 September 2016, wounding a dog that later died. Ward pleaded not guilty. The trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the shots were fired, but Ward's defence lawyer, Keith Spencer BL, argued that Ward was not involved. Judge Elma Sheahan, after considering the defence's claim that Gardaí failed to secure CCTV footage that could corroborate Ward's alibi, directed the jury to acquit Ward of both charges. The judge noted that the Garda evidence was fair and that the prosecution had no ballistics expert, and that inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony could lead to an unfair trial. The jury was discharged and Ward was found not guilty by direction.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Not guilty direction in shotgun blast trial. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- September 17, 2016 Incident
- 2021-11-22 Publication
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