Vincent Banks loses appeal over IRA membership conviction

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

Vincent Banks lost his appeal against an IRA membership conviction in the Court of Appeal on 19 December 2019. He had been convicted by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, also known as the IRA. Banks had received a five-year sentence in October 2017.

The appeal concerned the admissibility of his garda interviews, the lawfulness of his arrest and evidence about alleged IRA membership. The Court of Appeal found that Banks had access to legal advice and that explanations about inferences from unanswered questions were adequate. The court dismissed his appeal.