Trial collapse - Case has frightening implications

In stark contrast to the Brian Murphy verdict, the family of Denis Franklin are distraught over the collapse of the prosecution case in the trial of three men accused of seriously assaulting the Limerick student.

Following the earlier collapse of this case, they had reason to hope that a fresh hearing would secure justice in full measure for their son.

So savage was the assault in a Cork laneway that two years later he lies in a vegetative state in hospital.

From the outset, this case was peppered with legal argument concerning the admissibility of evidence. In the event, only two of the four defendants will face sentence, one for serious assault and the other for violent disorder.

The public has every right to be shocked at learning that certain garda statements were seen as amounting to inducement. They included suggestions, during questioning that the accused, amongst other things, should tell the truth.

While Judge Patrick Moran was following judicial precedent, this case opens an appalling vista for the gardaí in securing statements in the future.

If gardaí cannot demand the truth from suspects then we, as a nation, are in serious trouble.