Kearney appeal to be held

An appeal by Brian Kearney against his conviction for the murder of his wife Siobhán at their Dublin home will be heard by the…

An appeal by Brian Kearney against his conviction for the murder of his wife Siobhán at their Dublin home will be heard by the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) on Tuesday.

Kearney was found guilty at the Central Criminal Court last year of murdering his wife and mother of their young son at their home at Carnroe, Knocknashee, Goatstown, on February 28th 2006, his 49th birthday. Kearney denied the charge.

When the appeal was mentioned at the CCA today, Mr Justice Fidelma Macken was told all submissions had been filed and the appeal was ready to proceed. The appeal will be determined by the three judge court and is expect to finish within the day.

Kearney (52) was convicted in March 2008 of his 38-year-old wife’s murder by a majority jury verdict of 11 to one and Mr Justice Barry White imposed the mandatory life sentence.

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During the trial, the prosecution argued Siobhan Kearney was planning to separate from her husband and to move into a new home the couple had built. It was argued this did not fit into Kearney’s plans and he had strangled her with a vacuum cleaner flex before attempting to make her death look like a suicide.

Mary Carolan

Mary Carolan

Mary Carolan is the Legal Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times