Courts / Mayo / Report
John Tighe to remain in prison for murdering infant son after appeal is rejected
Summary
John Tighe will remain in prison serving a life sentence following the dismissal of his appeal against conviction for the murder of his infant son. Tighe, from Lavallyroe in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, was found guilty by unanimous jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court in March 2018 of murdering six-and-a-half-month-old Joshua in June 2013. The child died from asphyxiation caused by a wad of tissue lodged in his throat. The Court of Appeal rejected Tighe's challenge to the trial judge's decision to admit extracts from a postmortem report prepared by a pathologist who was unavailable to attend trial for cross-examination. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy ruled that the report constituted a factual record within proper legal bounds and that no unfairness resulted from its admission, particularly as expert evidence based on those findings was subject to cross-examination before the jury. John Tighe pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: John Tighe to remain in prison for murdering infant son after appeal is rejected. Charges or matters: murdering six-and-a-half-month-old Joshua Sussbier Tighe at his home on June 1, 2013. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- June 1, 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 23, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 31, 2013 Other
- 2023-03-24 Publication
Why: Lawyers for Tighe (45) had argued that the trial judge should not have allowed evidence from the postmortem report to go before the jury because the pathologist who carried it out was not available to attend the trial in person. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: murdering six-and-a-half-month-old Joshua Sussbier Tighe at his home on June 1, 2013 (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Outcome: Photo: Collins) John Tighe will remain in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of his infant son Joshua, who fatally choked on a ball of tissue, after the Court of Appeal today dismissed his bid to overturn his conviction.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
Topics
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