Corey Mulhall acquitted of IRA membership in Garda trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Corey Mulhall was acquitted of IRA membership by the Special Criminal Court on 11 February 2014. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge on 26 September 2012.

The court heard that Mulhall admitted taking photographs of the Garda complex on Harcourt Square after booking a nearby Harcourt Hotel room under the name “Jason Egan”. He said a named man had offered him money to photograph a very tall garda for another unnamed man who was in dispute with gardaí.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Donohoe told the court that confidential information led him to believe Mulhall was an IRA member. Mr Justice Paul Butler said the court accepted the chief superintendent’s integrity and experience, but would not convict on that belief alone without independent corroboration.

The judge said Mulhall had given false answers and failed to answer material questions in Garda interviews. However, he found Mulhall’s account about being paid to photograph the garda could provide a reasonable alternative explanation, leaving a reasonable doubt.

Defending, Deirdre Murphy SC argued that everything pointed away from IRA membership and that there was a credible alternative explanation for Mulhall’s presence at the hotel. The proceedings were reported on 12 February 2014.