Matthew Cummins appeals murder conviction in Court of Appeal

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

Matthew Cummins appealed his murder conviction to the Court of Appeal. The court’s judgment was delivered remotely on 13 July 2021 by Ms. Justice Isobel Kennedy.

Cummins, James Davy and a third co-accused were convicted following a 19-day trial which began on 11 July 2016 at the Central Criminal Court. The convictions concerned the murder of Thomas Dooley in Edenderry on 12 February 2014. James Davy also appealed his conviction.

Cummins’s appeal challenged the refusal of a separate trial, the refusal to dismiss the charge or grant a direction, and aspects of the trial judge’s instructions to the jury. His grounds also disputed whether the evidence established an act accompanied by the intention required for murder.

The judgment records that the defence case concerned each accused’s degree of participation. Cummins admitted being present at the scene but denied hitting Mr Dooley.

The supplied extract ends before the court’s operative decision.