Courts / Dublin / Report
Brothers acquitted of assaulting elderly neighbour
Summary
Paul Smith, 49, of Ballyfermot, Dublin, and Stephen Smith, 41, of Dundalk, Co. Louth, were acquitted at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of assaulting Jenny Lynch causing her harm on March 7, 2015. Both men had pleaded not guilty to the charge. The jury, comprising four women and eight men, returned its verdict after 25 minutes of deliberation on the third day of the trial. Judge Martin Nolan discharged both defendants from the indictment. During the proceedings, the accused testified that their brother, Andrew Smith, was solely responsible for the attack. Andrew Smith, who had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms. Lynch and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, gave evidence that he struck the victim twice in the head while his brothers did not. He stated that Stephen Smith was on crutches at the time due to a recent shooting. Ms. Lynch, who alleged all three brothers assaulted her, described injuries including a busted nose and stitches to her lip. Defence counsel suggested to the jury that Ms. Lynch's accusations were motivated by a belief that the Smiths were responsible for the death of her son, Eddie Lynch, although neither Paul nor Stephen Smith has ever been charged with that killing. Paul Smith testified that he attempted to restrain Andrew Smith, while Stephen Smith stated he would never harm the mother of his best friend. The court concluded the matter with the acquittal of the two defendants.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Brothers acquitted of assaulting elderly neighbour. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 7, 2015 Incident
- 2016-07-15 Publication
Why: She denied that she wrongly accused Paul and Stephen Smith of assaulting her because she believed they had killed her son. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Outcome: Their brother Andrew Smith had been jailed for two and half years after he previously pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Lynch causing her harm.
Places mentioned
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