Courts / Dublin / Report
Polish man jailed for life for murdering girlfriend asks court for a retrial or lesser verdict
Summary
Waldemar Solowiow, 48, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for the death of his 37‑year‑old girlfriend, Mary Ryan, who was found unconscious in his Dublin bedsit on 18‑19 May 2012. Ryan died from neck compression and blunt force head trauma. Solowiow had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, claiming provocation after a physical fight the night before. He was found guilty of murder by a majority jury and received a mandatory life sentence on 31 October 2013. His counsel, Paul Burns SC, has now applied to the Court of Appeal for either a retrial or a substitution of the murder verdict with manslaughter. The appeal focuses on whether Solowiow's false statements about the circumstances, which he later recanted, could be admitted as evidence and whether they undermine the provocation defence. The Court of Appeal will decide at a future hearing.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Polish man jailed for life for murdering girlfriend asks court for a retrial or lesser verdict. Charges or matters: the murder of Mary Ryan but guilty to her manslaughter at his home on Sherrard Street Upper, Dublin 1, between May 18 and 19 2012; her murder by a majority jury verdict in the Central Criminal Court and was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick J McCarthy on October 31, 2013. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- May 18 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 31, 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2015-04-21 Publication
Why: Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, John O'Kelly SC, said provocation could only arise because of what an accused said had happened. Prosecution account reported by CNI
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: the murder of Mary Ryan but guilty to her manslaughter at his home on Sherrard Street Upper, Dublin 1, between May 18 and 19 2012; her murder by a majority jury verdict in the Central Criminal Court and was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick J McCarthy on October 31, 2013 (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; He was found guilty of her murder by a majority jury verdict in the Central Criminal Court and was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick J McCarthy on October 31, 2013.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
- Sherrard Street
Topics
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