McDowell applies for hotel killer Nascimento's trial transcript

The Minister for Justice today applied to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin for a transcript of the trial of a Portuguese man who was jailed for life for the murder of a young female trainee manager in Limerick’s Jurys Inn in 2002.

The application was made in connection with the possible transfer of Paulo Nascimento to a Portuguese jail.

Unlike Ireland, Portugal has no life sentence and if transferred, the life sentence he received in March 2003 would have to be changed to a determinate sentence.

Nascimento (aged 28), a former member of the Portuguese army, was given the mandatory life sentence after he pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Grainne Dillon (aged 24), of Glounthane, Cork at Jury’s Inn, Limerick on January 5, 2002.

The court heard that Nascimento, who worked as a night porter at the hotel for just six days before the killing, shot Ms Dillon in the breast, thigh and lower pelvic area after robbing €3,000 from the hotel.

Today, Mr Tony Hunt BL ,for Justice Minister Michael Mc Dowell, told Mr Justice Paul Carney that the Minister required the transcript as part of his consideration as to whether a transfer would take place.

He said this would be an important factor in the length of the sentence specified by the Portuguese authorities in the event of the transfer taking place.

Mr Justice Carney said clearly all parties should have the fullest information in this case and ordered that the transcript be made available to the Minister and the convicted man. The court heard that the Minister has received an application from the convicted man for a transfer to serve his sentence in Portugal.