September Issue of Irish Criminal Law Update: DPP v Keith Connorton

The September edition of Irish Criminal Law Update by Laura Byrne BL is now available for subscribers of Irish Criminal Law. Laura provides an in-depth case analysis of DPP v Keith Connorton which concerned an appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal dismissing the appeal against the conviction of the appellant of the murder of Graham McKeever. The appeal dealt with the admissibility of a 999 recording made by a witness in the immediate aftermath of the incident into evidence in order to prove the truth of its contents.

The various judgments referred to in this case provide detailed and clear analysis of the rule against hearsay, the exception of res gestae as well as helpful analysis of the rule against narrative or the rule against self-corroboration, the provision of statements when questioning a hostile witness, and brief analysis of the exception pursuant to s 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Murray J’s judgment is very helpful and informative in relation to the different definition of the rule against hearsay and the extent to which it overlaps with the rule against narrative.

Key words:

[2023] IESC 19 ‒ Woulfe, Charleton, Murray, Collins JJ ‒ Supreme Court ‒ 28 July 2023

Rule against hearsay ‒ res gestae ‒ admissibility of hearsay evidence ‒ exceptions to hearsay rule