John Gerard McDonagh denied access to murder evidence

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

John Gerard McDonagh was denied High Court access to forensic evidence in his murder and rape case, in a decision reported on 20 June 2015. The High Court ruled it lacked jurisdiction to grant orders allowing his experts to examine samples gathered during the investigation.

McDonagh sought access to clothing, fibres and nail clippings for testing, including DNA analysis. The court said the Garda Commissioner and Director of Public Prosecutions could grant access, while the Court of Appeal had jurisdiction to decide an application for such orders.