Courts / Dublin / Report

Top barrister accused of murder is refused bail

Date
2022-03-21

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

In a High Court hearing on 21 March 2022, Justice Deirdre Murphy refused bail to Diarmuid Rossa Phelan, a 53‑year‑old barrister and law lecturer, who is accused of murdering Keith Conlon, a 36‑year‑old father of four, in a fatal shooting on a farm in Tallaght on 22 February. The judge found that Phelan posed a serious flight risk, citing the seriousness of the murder charge, the strength of the evidence, his substantial assets—including a 180‑acre farm in Tallaght and a 45‑acre farm in Wexford held through companies registered in Northern Ireland—and his status as a U.S. citizen. The court noted that Phelan had used multiple addresses in south Dublin and that his assets could be realised without state knowledge. The judge concluded that the balance of probabilities indicated a powerful incentive for Phelan to evade justice, and therefore denied his bail application.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Top barrister accused of murder is refused bail. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

February 22 Incident
2022-03-21 Publication

Why: Ms Justice Murphy said the court disagreed with a submission by the accused's barrister that The Associate Professor of Law at Trinity College had a greater understanding of bail obligations than the majority of the population because of his "illustrious career". CNI source report

Case subjects

Diarmuid Rossa Phelan

Accused

Outcome: The judge said that Mr Phelan has a "powerful incentive to evade justice" based on the seriousness of the charge, the strength of the evidence, the likely sentence and the on-going threats to the accused. Mr Phelan had a "powerful incentive to evade justice" based on the seriousness of the charge, the strength of the evidence, the likely sentence and the on-going threats to the accused, she said.