Jury left in ‘hopeless state of confusion’, court hears

The jury in the trial of a man jailed for life for the murder of his neighbour were left in a “hopeless state of confusion” on the issue of self-defence, the Court of Criminal Appeal has heard.

The three-judge court yesterday heard submissions in an appeal against conviction brought by Brendan O’Sullivan, aged 28, who in Nov 2010 was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy after a Central Criminal Court jury unanimously found him guilty of murdering Leslie Kenny, aged 27.

O’Sullivan had denied murdering Mr Kenny in the garden of his home on O’Gorman St, Kilrush, Co Clare, on Jul 29, 2009.