The daughter of the late Evelyn Joel is to bring a High Court action aimed at preventing her retrial on a charge of gross negligence manslaughter of her mother.

A JURY yesterday failed to reach a verdict in the trial of Eleanor Joel and her partner John Costen, who had denied the unlawful killing, by neglect, of Evelyn Joel.

THE daughter of Evelyn Joel told the trial into her death that she accepted her mother was in a comatose state when she went into hospital.

ONE of the accused in his statement to investigating gardaí, told the trial into the death of Evelyn Joel, that “it was going to come to the point when I would kill myself or go mental”.

THE death of Evelyn Joel was due to pneumonia while there was no evidence to support any claim of long-term starvation.

THE son of Evelyn Joel said he had seldom spoken to his mother in the months leading to her death.

WEARING casual clothes and a New York Yankees baseball cap, Jonathan Costen arrived in the old, dilapidated courtroom with Eleanor Joel, who was wearing a grey tracksuit top and dark pants, at 10.30am.

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has been granted leave by the High Court to challenge an order made by a circuit court judge requiring it to hand over documents to be used in the manslaughter trial over the death of Co Wexford woman Evelyn Joel.