Courts / Dublin / Report
Cameron Blair and Urantsetseg Tserendorj murderers should not be sentenced to life, lawyers argue
Summary
The Court of Appeal has adjourned sentencing appeals for two defendants convicted of murder while under 18, following a Supreme Court ruling restricting life sentences for child offenders. In the first case, a 19-year-old man was found guilty by a jury in 2022 of murdering Urantsetseg Tserendorj in Dublin in 2021, after pleading guilty to manslaughter. His counsel argued the case lacked the 'exceptional circumstances' required for a life sentence, citing lack of premeditation. The DPP countered that the attack was intentional and brutal. In the second case, a defendant who was four months shy of 18 pleaded guilty in 2020 to the murder of Cameron Blair in Cork. His lawyer argued his immaturity and lack of planning precluded a life sentence, while the DPP highlighted the use of a large knife. The Supreme Court previously ruled that life sentences for children are only appropriate in exceptional cases and that part-suspended sentences are permissible if detention continues past age 18. The three-judge court reserved judgment in both matters, meaning the appeals were adjourned rather than concluded.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Cameron Blair and Urantsetseg Tserendorj murderers should not be sentenced to life, lawyers argue. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Found guilty
When:
- January 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 20, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 16, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2025-12-11 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Two defendants who were under 18 when they were convicted of murder should not be sentenced to life, their lawyers have argued following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that has altered how the courts deal with child offenders. Each of the young men were separately sentenced to life in detention with review after 13 years.; The three-judge court reserved judgment in both cases.
Appellant
Finding: Found guilty
Outcome: Found guilty; Two defendants who were under 18 when they were convicted of murder should not be sentenced to life, their lawyers have argued following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that has altered how the courts deal with child offenders. Each of the young men were separately sentenced to life in detention with review after 13 years.; The three-judge court reserved judgment in both cases.
Places mentioned
- Supreme Court
- Court of Appeal
- Central Criminal Court
- Custom House
Topics
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