Conviction admissible in Nevin assets case

Catherine Nevin’s conviction for the murder of her husband Tom can be used as evidence in a civil action aimed at stopping her from inheriting any of his assets.

President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, held that deeming Nevin’s conviction “as completely inadmissible” in the civil proceedings would be “contrary to common sense and offend any reasonable person’s sense of justice and fairness”.

The ruling means the civil action will not be an effective re-run of Nevin’s trial at the Central Criminal Court in 2000. After 42 days a jury found her guilty of murdering Tom Nevin at their pub, Jack White’s Inn, near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on Mar 19, 1996.