Courts / Meath / Report

Bail for men charged with murder of dissident republican

Date
2015-02-13
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Gormanston
County
Meath

Summary

Two Dublin men, Dean Evans (24) and Edward McGrath (33), were charged with the murder of dissident republican Peter Butterly and with firearm offences on 6 March 2013 in the car park of the Huntsman Inn, Gormanston, Co Meath. A 55‑day trial at the Special Criminal Court collapsed after a failure in evidence disclosure. A third man, Sharif Kelly (44), was also charged with the murder but had remained on bail throughout the trial. At a High Court bail hearing, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty granted bail to Evans and McGrath, despite objections from senior Gardaí, citing the need for justice and the presumption of innocence. The retrial of all three men was fixed for the Special Criminal Court in January 2017. The judge set bail conditions including a curfew, daily Garda sign‑ins, provision of mobile phone numbers and keeping devices switched on, and warned that any breach would bring the matter back before him.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Bail for men charged with murder of dissident republican. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

Unnamed man

Accused

Outcome: He said their continued detention based on the evidence of gardaí would amount to preventative detention when they still enjoyed a presumption of innocence.

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention
Court Venue
  • High Court
  • Special Criminal Court
Residence

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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