Courts / Dublin / Report
State seeks to overturn acquittal in pair's attempted murder trial
Summary
In a 2023 Central Criminal Court case, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon directed a jury to acquit two men of attempted murder of a 17‑year‑old Dublin teenager, after the defence applied to drop the charges. The accused, aged 32 and 28, were alleged to have attempted to kill the teenager on 24 February 2021 at Eugene Street, Dublin 8, and to have possessed a Beretta pistol. The trial judge found the evidence—CCTV, witness testimony, forensics—insufficient to prove guilt, noting no direct link between the gun found in a burned‑out Hyundai and either defendant, and no DNA, phone or motive evidence. The State has now applied to the Court of Appeal to overturn the acquittal, arguing the judge erred by considering evidence "in isolation" rather than "globally." The appeal will be heard by a three‑judge panel tomorrow. The case remains a circumstantial one with no direct evidence of the defendants' involvement.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: State seeks to overturn acquittal in pair's attempted murder trial. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- February 24, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2023-12-14 Publication
Why: At the Court of Appeal today, Eilis Brennan SC, for the State, submitted that the trial judge erred in her ruling to direct the acquittals because she had considered the individual pieces of evidence "in isolation" in making her assessments, rather than considering their "global" consequence in a circumstantial case. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Outcome: Mr Baker said two witnesses identified two men at the scene as being no older than 20 years of age but that his client on the night was aged "two months shy of his 30th birthday". "Context is key because it was always the prosecution's case that my client was not the shooter," said counsel, who noted that the trial judge adjourned the matter overnight for a ruling to be prepared. "I am not aware o
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
- Eugene Street
- Eugene Street
Topics
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