Courts / Dublin / Report

Brothers who ran over gunman fail in murder conviction appeal

Summary

An appeal by Jason Bradley and Dean Bradley against their murder convictions has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The brothers were originally sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2018 for the murder of Neil Reilly in Lucan, Dublin, on January 18, 2017. The appeal focused on alleged errors in the trial judge's charge to the jury and the admissibility of witness Danielle Cusack's evidence. Mr Justice John Edwards, presiding at the three-judge Court of Appeal, dismissed all grounds of appeal, stating that the trial was conducted fairly and that the jury's verdicts were safe. Jason Bradley was found guilty of murder and Dean Bradley was acquitted of murder but was previously sentenced to life imprisonment for the same offence. Ryan Bradley was acquitted of murder by the trial judge but pleaded guilty to an offence of impeding the murder investigation and received a fully suspended five-year prison sentence. The court rejected claims that the trial judge improperly charged the jury and that the use of Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI) with Ms Cusack was unfair. The appeal was adjourned and never described as concluded or finalised.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Brothers who ran over gunman fail in murder conviction appeal. Charges or matters: an offence of impeding the murder investigation. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted

When:

• July 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• January 18, 2017 Incident
• December 2016 Other
• 2022-03-10 Publication

Why: Dean and Jason Bradley had claimed that their convictions for the murder of Neil Reilly in 2017 should be overturned because of alleged errors in the judge's charge to the jury and because, they said, a key prosecution witness should not have been allowed to give evidence. Prosecution account reported by CNI

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report