John O’Donoghue refused legal costs after machete assault appeal

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

John O’Donoghue was refused legal costs after his convictions for assault causing serious harm and violent disorder were overturned by the Court of Appeal; the costs decision was reported on 6 June 2024.

The court said the failure to investigate CCTV properly did not require the State to pay his costs. It also rejected his application for the costs of his appeal.

The Court of Appeal had found that the failure to harvest CCTV deprived him of a realistic prospect of a defence. The costs ruling did not determine the factual dispute over what happened during the incident in Bothar Buí, Rathkeale, on 17 December 2017.

The court said the prosecution had been justified and that the two years O’Donoghue had spent in custody were not relevant to the costs decision.