John Gerard McDonagh’s High Court bid on murder and rape evidence fails

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

John Gerard McDonagh’s bid for access to forensic evidence in his murder and rape case was ruled beyond the High Court’s jurisdiction, as reported on 20 June 2015.

The court said the Garda Commissioner and Director of Public Prosecutions could allow access, while the Court of Appeal had jurisdiction to consider an application. McDonagh had sought access to clothing, fibres and nail clippings for testing, including DNA analysis, that was unavailable when he was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to life for murder and 10 years for rape.