Stephen Keane 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.

Stephen Keane appealed his murder conviction at the Court of Appeal on 8 June 2023, arguing that statements made to gardaí while he was intoxicated should have been excluded.

Keane was convicted of murdering John Lowe in Portlaw in May 2021 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

His lawyers argued that pre-detention conversations and notebook entries were admitted unfairly, while he lacked legal advice and was intoxicated.

The prosecution argued that the trial judge had assessed the evidence individually and that Keane had volunteered his statements in the patrol car.

The Court of Appeal said it would give judgment on 15 June 2023.