Retired fisherman back in Isle of Man court on manslaughter charge
Richard “Benny” Moore, a 79-year-old retired fisherman from Dingle, Co Kerry, has been forced to stay on the island for the past 11 months following his arrest last October over the death of a woman with whom he had been drinking in a hotel.
Mr Moore is charged with the manslaughter of South African woman Maureen Fox, aged 38, in the Isle of Man capital, Douglas on October 28, 2002.
The woman fell ill in Mr Moore’s hotel bedroom after the pair had been drinking together earlier in the night in the lounge of the hotel.
Mr Moore was arrested and initially charged with Ms Fox’s murder after she died on the way to hospital. However, the murder charged was later dropped to one of manslaughter.
Relatives of the elderly pensioner have expressed concern about ongoing delays in the case coming before the courts in the Isle of Man and their effect on Mr Moore’s health and well-being.
Mr Moore, a regular visitor to the island for several decades, has been ordered to remain in the Isle of Man under strict bail conditions which involve an early curfew and regular signing-on with local police. Following his arrest, he was originally held in custody for almost two months.
His legal team have unsuccessfully applied to the magistrate in the Isle of Man to allow him return to Ireland on the basis that an extradition agreement exists between the two jurisdictions.
A date for the full trial has yet to be set after it was deferred last July when a major prosecution witness was unavailable to attend court to give evidence.
An Isle of Man court spokesperson said that today’s hearing in Castletown was not a committal hearing but just for mention.
Mr Moore’s family is hoping it will become clearer after today’s hearing when the full trial will go ahead.
