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7 Extraordinary Exonerations

Summary

This report details seven extraordinary exonerations in Irish courts, highlighting cases where the justice system failed accused individuals. Among the validated subjects is Nora Wall, a former nun convicted in 1999 of rape, a charge she did not plead to but was found guilty of. She became the first woman convicted of rape in the State's history and the first to receive a life sentence for the crime, handed down by Mr Justice Paul Carney. However, her sentence was quashed after a prosecution witness admitted fabricating evidence, and in December 2005, the Court of Criminal Appeal declared her conviction a miscarriage of justice. Another subject, Michael Hannon, was convicted in 1999 of sexually assaulting a ten-year-old girl, Una Hardester, and assaulted Hannon's father. Hannon received a suspended prison sentence of four years. In 2009, the Court of Criminal Appeal declared his conviction a miscarriage of justice after Hardester admitted her allegations were fabricated for revenge following a land dispute. Christy Lynch, convicted of the murder of Vera Cooney in 1976, was also exonerated. Lynch claimed his confession was extracted under duress by the Garda murder squad. Although the Court of Criminal Appeal initially ordered a retrial, the Supreme Court ultimately set Lynch free, declaring him an innocent man based on the inadmissibility of his coerced statement. These cases underscore significant failures in the Irish legal process.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 7 Extraordinary Exonerations. Charges or matters: sexually assaulting a ten-year old girl, Una Hardester; assaulting Hannon's father; the murder of the first baby; the murder of Vera Cooney at her home in Sandymount, Dublin, in September 1976; the murder and, at his trial, it was claimed that he had fathered one of Mary McCarthy's seven children and had killed her to silence her. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Convicted

When:

• December 19 1971 Other
• May 1972 Incident
• June 1999 Other
• December 2005 Incident
• September 1976 Other
• March 31st, 1976 Incident
• April 1941 Other
• 2016-02-23 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report