John Walker appeals sexual assault conviction at Court of Appeal

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

John Walker’s appeal against his conviction for indecent and sexual assault was heard at the Court of Appeal on 22 June 2021.

Walker had been found guilty of 40 counts relating to his adopted daughter, Jennifer Kelly, and jailed for three-and-a-half years in December 2019. The offending was said to have taken place at two homes in Dublin 12 between June 1990 and April 2000.

His counsel argued that evidence from two unavailable witnesses, the jury directions on delay and the absence of a corroboration warning made the trial unfair. The State argued that the proposed evidence was speculative and did not justify setting aside the conviction.

The Court of Appeal reserved judgment.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.