Court orders murder retrial after pathologist’s evidence challenged

The State has asked the Court of Appeal to quash a murder conviction and order a retrial after it emerged that the then deputy State pathologist Khalid Jabbar’s work was not peer-reviewed.

Colm Deely, aged 44, of School Rd, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Deirdre McCarthy, 43, at a place unknown on or about March 28, 2011. Her body was found on Fanore Beach, Co Clare, on March 31, 2011.

A Central Criminal Court jury found Mr Deely guilty of murder and he was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Barry White on June 27, 2013.