Catherine Nevin will be entitled to free legal aid to process her appeal against her conviction for the murder of her husband, Tom Nevin, five years ago, the Court of Criminal Appeal decided yesterday.
A date for the appeal hearing has not been set, but it is unlikely to be before the autumn. An application on behalf of Nevin for legal aid had been adjourned earlier this year until it was known whether she would be entitled to any proceeds from the estate of her late husband. He was shot dead at their pub, Jack White's Inn, near Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on March 19th, 1996.
Civil proceedings in which Mr Nevin's family have secured a High Court order "freezing" the distribution of his estate are still pending. Yesterday it was indicated that the civil proceedings would be related to a large extent to the outcome of Nevin's appeal.
In court yesterday Mr Justice Hardiman, presiding, said the appeal should be heard as soon as possible and that Nevin did not appear at present to have the resources to process the appeal.
Jack White's Inn was jointly owned by Thomas and Catherine Nevin and was sold by Nevin in November 1997 for £620,000.
In 1998, Mr Nevin's mother, Mrs Nora Nevin, of Tynagh, Loughrea, Co Galway - who is now also deceased - brought proceedings claiming to have an interest in the pub. A number of declarations are being sought, including one that Catherine Nevin was not entitled to any share in the premises.
Nevin was expected to claim a share of the proceeds of her late husband's estate but her murder conviction has brought that into question.
Nevin owns two houses in Dublin and her total assets could be over £1 million. The houses are in Rialto and Kilmainham. She was jailed for life on April 11th, 2000, following a two-month trial in which she was found guilty of murder and soliciting three men to murder her husband.