Courts / Ireland / Report

Munster Abuse Case: children's uncles bid to overturn convictions on basis of letter sent to trial judge

Summary

Two men, uncles of the victims, were jailed for 15 years each in the Munster abuse trial for raping, abusing and exploiting their niece and two nephews. Their convictions were appealed on the basis of a letter sent by a juror to the trial judge. The Court of Appeal heard the two‑day appeal and reserved its ruling on both cases. The appeal argued that the juror's letter could have tainted the verdicts and that the men should have been tried separately due to prejudicial evidence. The State maintained that the jury deliberated in privacy and that the letter did not raise any doubt about the validity of the verdicts. The Court of Appeal has not yet decided the appeals, which will continue at the three‑judge court. The trial was held at Croke Park in summer 2021, and the men were found guilty on most of the 78 counts against them.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Munster Abuse Case: children's uncles bid to overturn convictions on basis of letter sent to trial judge. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• January 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• April 2016 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-04-10 Publication

Why: The two men cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the children. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal

Read the original CNI report