Court of Appeal removes order barring identification of convicted man

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

The Court of Appeal allowed the Director of Public Prosecutions’ appeal and removed the reference in a court order to an ongoing restriction on identifying the convicted respondent. It held that the order made at sentencing was superfluous and ought not to have been made.

The appeal followed the trial judge’s refusal to lift the restriction after the DPP sought to act on the complainant’s wish to waive her anonymity. The Court of Appeal also said the trial judge’s approach to whether his mandate had expired was unduly restrictive.

The ruling permits publication of the man’s identity, but the complainant’s name remains protected under a separate legal restriction concerning identification of child victims, even when they have reached adulthood.