Courts / Dublin / Report
Joe O'Reilly to take miscarriage of justice bid to Supreme Court
Summary
Joe O'Reilly is seeking Supreme Court permission to appeal the Court of Appeal's dismissal of his miscarriage‑of‑justice application. In July 2007, a Central Criminal Court jury convicted him of murdering his wife, Rachel, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. O'Reilly's earlier appeal in 2009 failed, and a 2012 attempt to quash the conviction on the basis of unlawful detention was also dismissed. In November 2012 he obtained legal aid to pursue a miscarriage‑of‑justice claim under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act, but the Court of Appeal ruled it an abuse of process, citing no new facts. The Court of Appeal, presided over by Justices Birmingham, Ryan and Edwards, dismissed the application, noting that the alleged evidence mishap had occurred during the original trial and that O'Reilly had been fully informed at the time.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Joe O'Reilly to take miscarriage of justice bid to Supreme Court. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- July 2007 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 4 2004 Hearing Or Sentence
- July 23 Incident
- August 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-03-18 Publication
Why: Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Grehan SC, had asked the Court of Appeal to dismiss O'Reilly's application as an "abuse of process" because it was not based on any new or newly discovered facts as required under the Act. Prosecution account reported by CNI
Places mentioned
- Supreme Court
- Central Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
- Midlands Prison
Topics
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