THE Central Criminal Court will resume sitting next Monday to clear some of the backlog of more than 60 rape and murder cases. It reconvenes three weeks earlier than the other criminal and civil courts following the summer break.
The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, announced the extra session earlier this year as part of her anti crime package. This followed public outrage at the murders of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in Limerick and journalist Veronica Guerin.
A 600 member jury panel summoned to attend the session will deal with 13 of the shorter rape cases. It is planned that the Michaelmas Law Term, beginning October 7th, will deal with most of the major cases.
Previously, each listing session has seen the backlog increase as trial dates could not be found.
Several substantial murder trials, including the Brendan O'Donnell triple murder case and the Frank McCann case this year, with 50 to 100 prosecution witnesses, have taken up the biggest portion of time.
The 48 day trial of publican Frank McCann failed to finish at the end of the Trinity Law Term on July 31st and continued for two weeks into the court holidays.
Starting next Monday, four separate rape cases are listed for trial, involving three accused men from Dublin, and a Louth case. A fifth rape case from Donegal has been listed provisionally to proceed should any of the other cases not go ahead.
Also on Monday, a man from Dublin and another man from Meath face sentence in separate sex cases.
During the September sitting, dates have been fixed for 13 out of 41 sex cases which were before the court at the last date listing session on July 18th. Another five have been given provisional dates. Mr Justice Carney will preside with Mr Justice Moriarty and Mr Justice Shanley also available to hear trials.
During the Michaelmas term proper, the court will try another 13 rape cases as well as 12 out of 21 murder cases before the court in July. A further three murder cases and six rape cases have been given provisional dates.