The Court of Appeal has upheld Keith O’Hara’s convictions for the murder of Paul Jones and for burglary arising from events at 108 Bandon Road, Cork, on 4 September 2019.
O’Hara had been convicted after a Central Criminal Court trial of murdering Mr Jones and of entering the house as a trespasser with intent to cause him serious harm. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and three years for burglary, with both sentences running concurrently from 10 September 2019.
The prosecution case included CCTV footage tracing the movements of O’Hara and his co-accused, Helen Jones, who was the deceased’s sister. A taxi driver gave evidence that he drove the pair to Bandon Road and saw Ms Jones go to the door before O’Hara followed her inside.
Mr Jones was found dead three days later. The State Pathologist found about 25 stab wounds and a separate chop wound, indicating the use of two types of weapon.
A bill hook recovered nearby carried Mr Jones’s blood on the blade and O’Hara’s DNA profile on the handle. Blood on runners and socks seized from O’Hara’s home also matched Mr Jones, while blood found in a taxi used later that evening matched O’Hara.
On appeal, O’Hara argued that the DNA samples taken from him should have been excluded because the Garda authorisation was inadequately documented. The Court of Appeal held that the law required reasonable grounds for the authorisation, not contemporaneous written notes setting them out, and found that the investigating Detective Superintendent had sufficient information to justify the samples.
The court also rejected a challenge to evidence obtained under search warrants on the basis that the District Court applications had not been digitally recorded. It held there was no legal requirement for such recording in the circumstances.
Both grounds failed and the appeal was dismissed. The convictions and concurrent life and three-year sentences remain in place.