John Joseph Malone murder conviction upheld on appeal

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

John Joseph Malone had his murder conviction upheld by the Court of Appeal on 19 April 2018, after judges found his trial was fair. The conviction concerned the murder of Ann “Nancy” Smyth at her Kilkenny home in 1987.

Malone had been given a mandatory life sentence after a jury found him guilty. The appeal court held that the lengthy delay before prosecution had not unduly hampered his ability to defend himself.

The three-judge court dismissed the appeal, leaving the murder conviction in place.