Graham Daly’s conviction appeal dismissed

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

The Court of Appeal dismissed Graham Daly’s appeal against his conviction for offences against his younger brother, Thomas Daly, on 3 November 2023. The proceedings were reported on 3 November 2023.

Graham Daly was convicted by a unanimous jury of seven counts of rape at the Central Criminal Court on 21 December 2021. Judge Karen O’Connor sentenced him to eight and a half years in prison in January 2022, treating him as a juvenile because he was under 18 when the offences took place.

The court heard that the assaults occurred mostly at the family home in Raheen, Co Limerick, between January 1998 and December 2002, beginning when Thomas Daly was 10. Graham Daly maintained his innocence and did not accept the jury’s verdicts.

At trial, Graham Daly claimed his brother was lying out of jealousy and wanted to destroy his life because he had disclosed his brother’s sexuality to their parents. Thomas Daly denied the claims and said his family had abandoned him after he reported his brother to gardaí.

On appeal, Justice John Edwards, Justice Patrick J McCarthy and Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh rejected grounds concerning the complainant’s cross-examination and a witness’s evidence. Justice Edwards said the defence case had been fully presented and understood by the jury, which had rejected it. A separate appeal against sentence was awaiting a decision when the report was published.