Independent newspaper criticised by O'Neill trial judge

Mr Justice Paul Carney has harshly criticised the Irish Independent in the manner in which it reported on the sentencing of Mrs Dolores O’Neill last week in the Central Criminal Court.

Mr Justice Carney said the O’Neill family did "not deserve this insult at the hands of Independent Newspapers".

Last week Mrs O’Neill (aged 51) was sentenced to eight years for the manslaughter of her husband after a jury found her not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a majority verdict of 10 to two.

O'Neill had denied murdering her 46-year-old husband, Declan, on or about July 22, 2002, at the family home in Coolamber Park, Knocklyon, in Dublin.

Mr Justice Carney said during the course of the trial in October, he "received a letter from an elderly lady who identified herself".

This lady, Mr Justice Carney said, "over a quarter of a century ago, fatally stabbed her husband" and was "not in prison for it".

She asked the presiding judge of the Central Criminal Court when he was charging the jury "to do so on the accused being a victim". The elderly lady, Mr Justice Carney said, did so in expressing views of alcoholism.

After Mrs O’Neill was found guilty of the manslaughter of her husband, Mr Justice Carney told the court he received "three further letters, the tenure of which" was that the convicted "should be released to go back to her boys".

Mr Justice Carney told the court that where communication is made to the trial judge that it is his duty to "make it known" to all parties concerned. He said he "did not make the identity" of the letter-writer known.

"The Irish Independent said these letters were anonymous but nevertheless attributed them to one of the O’Neill family and that they came close to committing contempt of court," he said.

This Mr Justice Carney said was a "total falsehood with no possible foundation in fact".

The O’Neill family, Mr Justice Carney said, presented themselves during the complete trial and always showed "total dignity at all times".

"They did not deserve this insult at the hands of Independent Newspapers," Mr Justice Carney said.

Last week before the sentence was delivered, Mr Justice Carney told the court he had received "three more letters" from an un-named person regarding the Dolores O’Neill trial.

"The second one was written at 2.40am and showed serious intent to bring the court into contempt," he said.

This person, Judge Carney said, was "blatantly seeking to influence my conduct". This, he said was the "gravest attempt of contempt of court".

"For the time being, taking into the account of the age of this party, I am not going to initiate proceedings of contempt of court", Mr Justice Carney said.