Courts / Dublin / Report
Newspaper fined €75k over pre-trial coverage of serial killer's case
Summary
The Sunday World was ordered to pay a €75,000 fine for contempt of court by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy at the Central Criminal Court. The penalty follows the newspaper's pre-trial coverage of Mark Nash, who was convicted of the 1997 double murders of Mary Callanan and Sylvia Shiels in Grangegorman. The court found that the newspaper published articles labeling Nash a "psycho" and a "Pulp Fiction-style killer" before his trial, despite knowing proceedings had begun. Counsel for the State, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, argued that such language prejudiced the fairness of the trial. The newspaper's counsel, Mr Shane English BL, contended that the impact was mitigated by Nash's notoriety and previous media attention, including the Dean Lyons inquiry. Mr Justice McCarthy deemed the contempt extremely serious and considered a six-figure fine. However, considering the newspaper's handling of the proceedings and the lack of previous adverse findings against editor Colm McGinty, the judge imposed the €75,000 fine on the publication. No order was made against Mr McGinty personally. The newspaper was given one month to pay the fine.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Newspaper fined €75k over pre-trial coverage of serial killer's case. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- April 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 16, 2010 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-02-15 Publication
Why: Mr Nash's role in the Grangegorman murders was also widely publicised because of an inquiry into the Dean Lyons affair. CNI source report
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