Courts / Cavan / Report

Assisting offender verdict may be open to Ruth Lawrence double murder trial jury

Summary

In the trial of Ruth Lawrence, Mr Justice Tony Hunt explained that the jury may return an alternative verdict of assisting an offender if they are not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that she participated in a joint enterprise to murder drug dealer Anthony Keegan and his friend Eoin O'Connor between 22 April and 26 May 2014. He clarified that for a murder conviction on joint enterprise, the accused must have assisted in a concrete way and had a purpose to deliberately assist in the killings. The judge noted that the two murder counts must be considered separately and that a conviction on one does not automatically imply a conviction on the other. He warned the jury to assess the reliability of the Symes witnesses, who are in the Witness Protection Programme, and to consider the impact of any benefits they receive on their testimony. Ruth Lawrence pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Assisting offender verdict may be open to Ruth Lawrence double murder trial jury. Charges or matters: murdering Mr Keegan and Mr O'Connor at an unknown location within the State on a date between April 22, 2014 and May 26, 2014, both dates inclusive. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• April 22, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 26, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2025-11-05 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report