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Double murderer appeals conviction, claiming tweet from an account linked to prosecution expert was used as 'marketing tool'
Summary
Jason O'Driscoll, convicted of the murders of Anthony Burnett and Joseph Redmond in Co Louth in 2012, had his appeal reheard today before a reconstituted Court of Appeal panel. The matter was previously adjourned after it emerged that one of the original judges, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, had presided over O'Driscoll's 2017 trial. O'Driscoll, who pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2018, argues that the conviction is unsafe due to flawed expert vehicle identification evidence and a tweet from a prosecution expert's account. Defence counsel Seán Guerin contended that the evidence from Acuity Forensics lacked scientific validity and that the tweet, which congratulated the Gardaí on the conviction, acted as a "marketing tool" undermining the expert's independence. The prosecution, represented by Patrick Gageby SC, maintained that the vehicle identification was part of the circumstantial evidence and that the tweet did not indicate a lack of impartiality. The court has reserved judgment on the appeal.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Double murderer appeals conviction, claiming tweet from an account linked to prosecution expert was used as 'marketing tool'. Charges or matters: the murders of 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7th, 2012. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Convicted
When:
- March 7th, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
- March 7, 2012 Incident
- March 8, 2012 Other
- May 2, 2013 Other
- 2025-12-12 Publication
Why: That failure was "materially very important", counsel said, because the element of the methodology Mr Wooley failed to comply with was designed to exclude the risk of confirmation bias. CNI source report
Case subjects
Background Person
Charges: the murders of 31-year-old Anthony Burnett and 25-year-old Joseph Redmond in Co Louth on March 7th, 2012 (Proven)
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; However, following a retrial, O'Driscoll was convicted by a ten to two majority and sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Michael White in October 2018. Imposing a mandatory life sentence on O'Driscoll in October 2018, Judge Michael White said that the two men had been "executed in a callous, brutal way".; O'Driscoll's bid to overturn his conviction was reheard today, having being adjourned earlier in the year when it emerged that one of then appeal judges had previously presided over his original trial.
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