Court grants further three days for manslaughter appeal

The Court of Criminal Appeal has fixed a further three days for the hearing of an application brought by a Meath man who is seeking to overturn his 40-year-old conviction for manslaughter.

Today, Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman told Mr Brendan Grehan SC, for the State, he was allocating May 17, 18 and 19 to allow the remainder of the case be heard.

Lawyers for Martin Conmey of Porterstown Lane, Ratoath, Co Meath are arguing that “newly discovered facts” will prove he was not responsible for the death of Una Lynskey in 1971.

Mr Conmey’s application, being brought under Section 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, is part of his attempt to have his conviction declared a miscarriage of justice.

The case was adjourned last Friday after four days of hearing.

Una Lynskey’s body was discovered on December 10, 1971, in a ditch in a remote part of the Dublin Mountains two months after she vanished while returning to her family home after work.

In 1972, Martin Conmey and another man, Dick Donnelly, were convicted of her manslaughter. A year later, both men appealed and Donnelly’s conviction was overturned, but Mr Conmey served three years in prison for the offence.

A third man, Martin Kerrigan, was also suspected of having been involved in the crime, but he was abducted and killed a short time after the body of Ms Lynskey was discovered.

Last week, the CCA of Mr Justice Adrian Hardiman presiding, sitting with Mr Justice Declan Budd and Mr Justice Eamon De Valera heard testimony from a key witness in the State’s case against Martin Conmey almost 40 years ago.

Co Meath man Sean Reilly (aged 62) told the court he was assaulted and interrogated by investigating gardaí who “put words” in his mouth.

Martin Conmey also testified before the three judge appeal court. He alleged he was punched, thrown on the floor and then “pulled up by the hair” while being questioned at Trim Garda Station in the aftermath of the 19-year-old’s disappearance.

Lawyers for Mr Conmey claim that “newly discovered” facts in the case include the existence of “earlier” contradictory statements from key witnesses and a previously unknown allegation of violence and “oppression” by investigating gardaí against one of these.