Nevin seeking second appeal against murder conviction

Catherine Nevin will today attempt to secure a second appeal over the conviction for murdering her husband.

Lawyers for Nevin have applied for secret state files on three Garda informers whose evidence helped convict her to be released.

The Court of Criminal Appeal is expected to decide whether a date can be set for a disclosure hearing on the classified material.

Dubbed "The Black Widow" after plotting her husband Tom’s death, the 55-year-old is serving a life sentence for the murder.

Her lawyers have argued the secret files were not released during Nevin’s trial and included information which casts doubt on the credibility and motivation of three key prosecutions witnesses.

Nevin was convicted in April 2000 of murdering her husband at Jack White’s Inn near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on March 19, 1996. She was jailed for life and also received a seven-year sentence for soliciting three men to carry out the killing in 1989 and 1990.

The Director of Public Prosecutions is expected to oppose the release of the files.