Courts / Kildare / Report

'Every effort' required in miscarriage of justice case over wrongful train robbery conviction

Summary

In a Court of Appeal hearing on 25 July 2025, Mr. Osgur Breatnach, aged 75, sought a declaration that his 1978 conviction for the Sallins train robbery was a miscarriage of justice. The robbery, which occurred on 31 March 1976, involved the theft of an estimated £200,000 from a Cork‑to‑Dublin mail train near Sallins, County Kildare. Breatnach, one of five members of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, was initially found guilty and sentenced to 12 years by the Special Criminal Court. His conviction was later quashed in May 1980 after the Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that his confession had been obtained under "oppression." During the case‑management session, Mr. Breatnach's solicitor, Kevin Winters of KRW Law, presented an application under section 9 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, asserting that newly discovered facts indicate a miscarriage of justice.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Every effort' required in miscarriage of justice case over wrongful train robbery conviction. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty

When:

• March 31st, 1976 Incident
• May 1980 Incident
• October 24 Adjournment
• December 13, 1978 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2025-07-25 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Theft

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Read the original CNI report