Judge rages at ‘horrific’ claim of lawyers knowingly using false evidence

IAN Bailey accused newspaper lawyers of putting a witness in the box to give evidence they knew was false, prompting cross-examining senior counsel to say this claim was horrific and an abuse of the witness box.

The serious allegation made against solicitors and barristers for the newspapers related to the evidence given by witness Marie Farrell at Mr Bailey’s failed libel action at Cork Circuit Court three years ago.

She testified that she saw the plaintiff at Kealfadda Bridge on the night of the murder. She recanted this evidence in October 2005. Mr Bailey made the claim the newspaper lawyers knew during the original trial her statement was false.