Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell appeal murder convictions

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

Warren Dumbrell and Jeffrey Dumbrell have begun a second appeal against their murder convictions in the Court of Criminal Appeal. The proceedings were reported on 21 October 2013.

They were convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury and jailed for life in February 2011 for murdering Christopher Cawley outside his home at Tyrone Place flats in Inchicore. They had both pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Their first conviction, in 2008, was held unsafe by the Court of Criminal Appeal in July 2010 after comments by trial judge Mr Justice Paul Carney, and a retrial was ordered. In the second appeal, counsel for Warren Dumbrell argued that the jury had not been properly directed about internet enquiries and that the defence had been restricted from introducing evidence of Mr Cawley’s previous knife convictions.

The report said Jeffrey Dumbrell claimed Mr Cawley threatened him and Warren with a knife, and that he grabbed it before stabbing Mr Cawley in self-defence. Counsel for the State, Mr Paul Burns SC, said the previous knife convictions had been made clear to the jury through Jeffrey Dumbrell’s trial evidence and argued that the brothers had received a fair trial. Chief Justice Susan Denham, presiding, said the appeal court would reserve its judgment.