James Kilroy to appeal conviction for murdering Cork woman Valerie French

The 53-year-old former park ranger was unanimously convicted of murdering Cork woman Valerie French, 41, at their home in Westport, Co Mayo, in June 2019, following three Central Criminal Court trials

Valerie French had been out visiting a friend before she was murdered.

James Kilroy, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife after a jury rejected his claim that he was insane when he beat, stabbed, and strangled her to death, will have his appeal against conviction heard early next year.

The 53-year-old former park ranger was unanimously convicted of murdering Cork woman Valerie French, 41, at their home in Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo, between June 13 and 14, 2019, following three Central Criminal Court trials. 

Kilroy had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The two previous trials collapsed due to unforeseen difficulties that arose during the course of the evidence.

Ms French had been out visiting a friend before she was murdered.

When she arrived home, Kilroy set upon her with a knife and beat and strangled her.

Kilroy was found some hours later wandering naked in a nearby field.

Gardaí subsequently found Ms French's beaten and bloodied body in a camper van.

An autopsy carried out by State pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan noted ligature marks to her neck and a stab wound to the throat.

Multiple injuries to the face and head were in keeping with repeated blunt force trauma while incised wounds on both hands were suggestive of defence type injuries, she said.

Valerie French had been out visiting a friend before she was murdered.

Kilroy’s appeal was listed for directions before Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy as she managed a list of cases at the Court of Appeal on Friday.

When the matter was called on, barrister Conor McKenna, representing Kilroy, said submissions for the appeal had been lodged in the morning. He asked that a day be set aside for the hearing of the case.

Ms Justice Kennedy fixed January 19, 2027, as the hearing date for the appeal.

During Kilroy’s third and final trial, psychiatrists had disagreed as to whether cannabis-induced psychosis is a mental disorder that can be used as a defence under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act.

Kilroy had told gardaí and psychiatrists of various delusional beliefs including that his wife was working with Donald Trump’s bodyguards to capture, torture and kill him.

There was also evidence that Kilroy was a regular user of cannabis and had a previous psychotic episode related to drug use in 2001.

The eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court took about two hours to reject Kilroy’s defence that he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity due to a cannabis-induced psychosis or a form of acute and transient psychotic disorder.