William O’Leary acquitted of forging farmer’s will

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

William O’Leary was acquitted of forging Matthew Hayes’s will at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, reported on 2 February 2015.

The jury returned a not-guilty verdict after nearly two and a half hours’ deliberation. O’Leary had denied forging the will, allegedly made between December 1998 and January 1999. The prosecution’s main witness, Charlie O’Leary, had previously pleaded guilty and received an 18-month suspended sentence, while being ordered to pay €30,000 into an account for the next of kin.