Stephen Keane’s murder conviction appeal dismissed

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

Stephen Keane’s appeal against his murder conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 7 November 2023. The panel included Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy.

Keane had been sentenced to life imprisonment after a unanimous jury found him guilty in May 2021 of murdering John Lowe at his Portlaw home on 13 December 2018. He had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder.

His lawyers argued that admissions made while he was intoxicated and without legal advice, and Garda notebook entries, should have been excluded. The appeal court upheld the trial judge’s rulings on their admissibility.

The proceedings were reported on 7 November 2023.