State on notice for Guerin murder appeal

Lawyers for the State have been told to prepare a “substantive response” in the lead-up to Brian Meehan’s bid to have his conviction for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin declared a miscarriage of justice.

Meehan, 47, from Crumlin in Dublin, is serving a life term in Portlaoise prison, having being convicted in July 1999 of the murder of Ms Guerin in June 1996 following a 31-day-trial before the non-jury Special Criminal Court. He was also jailed on drugs and firearms charges.

Meehan has applied to quash his 1999 murder conviction on the basis of new evidence. The new evidence concerns matters which emerged in the course the 2001 Special Criminal Court trial of John Gilligan.