Courts / Dublin / Report
Notorious child rapist 'Rossi' Walsh has conviction overturned
Summary
Stephen 'Rossi' Walsh, aged 75, had his 2010 conviction for indecent assault of a seven‑year‑old girl overturned by the Court of Appeal. Walsh had previously been sentenced to 10 years for raping a nine‑year‑old in the early 1990s, and in 2010 received a three‑year sentence for the 1988 assaults, followed by a 12‑year sentence in 2011 for further sexual offences. The appeal centred on pre‑trial media coverage, notably Sunday World and News of the World articles published the day before his trial, which portrayed Walsh as a convicted pervert and gang member. Walsh argued that this coverage prejudiced the jury and that the trial judge failed to give adequate warnings. The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction, noting the coverage was "highly egregious" and that the judge's instructions were insufficient. The court left it to the State to decide whether a retrial is required.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Notorious child rapist 'Rossi' Walsh has conviction overturned. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted
When:
- October 21, 2010 Incident
- May 1 Incident
- September 30, 1988 Incident
- February 2010 Incident
- November 2010 Incident
- December 2011 Incident
- October 18, 2010 Adjournment
- June 2021 Adjournment
- 2008 and 2009 Incident
- 2022-12-08 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; The 75-year-old, with former addresses at Belgrave Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6, and Coologmartin, Donadea, Co Kildare, was convicted on October 21, 2010, by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of two counts of indecent assault before Judge Pat McCartan and sentenced to three years imprisonment. Walsh had a 10-year sentence imposed on him by Mr Justice Paul Carney in February 2010 for raping a nine-year-old girl in the early 1990s.
Places mentioned
- Belgrave Road
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- The appeal court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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