John Hannigan loses appeal against murder conviction

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

John Hannigan lost his appeal against a murder conviction on 22 November 2016, after Mr Justice Alan Mahon dismissed the appeal. The conviction arose from a trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Hannigan had pleaded not guilty to murdering Anthony Fallon and to assault causing harm to him. A jury found him guilty of both offences on 28 February 2014.

The offences concerned Fallon’s death and an assault at his flat in Clonmel on 18 January 2012. Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed the mandatory life sentence for murder on 28 February 2014.

Hannigan told gardaí that Fallon’s death was on his hands and that he had lost his temper. In evidence, he said he was ‘just panicking’ when he told gardaí he had attacked Fallon.

His counsel, Damien Colgan, argued that the trial judge wrongly restricted psychological evidence and admitted interview memoranda. Mr Justice Mahon said psychological evidence had not been disallowed, but no expert evidence was called for Hannigan.

The earlier report said Hannigan was remanded in custody pending sentence for the assault causing harm.