Phelan dichiarato non colpevole dell’omicidio di un uomo nella fattoria di Tallaght

Pretty astonishing outcome IMO for Irish self-defence precedent.

It seems like if you can afford an expensive set of lawyers in this country, you can literally get away with murder.

Drag the whole case out and bamboozle the jury and walk away scot free.

Law was changed in 2011 to explicitly say you can stand your ground and defend your person/property.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_Law_(Defence_and_the_Dwelling)_Act_2011

Looking forward to Terry Gorry Solicitor’s take on this on his YouTube channel.

Surprised that he didn’t at least go down for manslaughter. The judge advised this was an option to the jury as well.

The defence team earned their bread on this case, although I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Either way, the process of justice has run it’s course on this, and that’s the system we have. He walks as an innocent man in the eyes of the law.

Finally a victory for common sense

Wow! Didn’t expect that tbh.

Hopefully this will give some people pause for thought when up to now they assumed they were untouchable no matter what terror they spread across the countryside.

So many similarities to the Deliveroo case: [https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/the-george-bento-trial-how-the-brazilian-deliveroo-cyclist-walked-free/](https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/the-george-bento-trial-how-the-brazilian-deliveroo-cyclist-walked-free/)

Seems crazy the state has taken both these prosecutions, and juries have taken just hours to come to the obvious conclusion. Rather laws need to be made clearer for self defence, or serious questions need to be asked of the DPP.

Brilliant result. Ridiculous he had to go through what he did.

Wonder will his next case in Wexford just go away now?

Fair play, best outcome for it.

I know why he was prosecuted, but he never should have been. It’s sad he’s had to been put through this process that was always going to end in his acquittal.

I’m not saying he deserved to die but Keith Conlon was a scumbag by all accounts. A mile long list of previous convictions who was constantly harassing the defendant on his land.

Regardless what the law says or what the jury were instructed, no jury in Ireland is ever going to convict a farmer for shooting a scumbag up to no good on their land. It’s just not going to happen. Just look at the Pádraig Nally/John Ward case or in England the Tony Martin case (although in that case the facts were very different).

When this story first broke there were people unironically comparing this incident to the Wind That Shakes the Barley or the attacks against the Ascendancy during the home rule movement. I hope those people learn from this experience and wise up going forward as to not get carried away next time.

I know there will be a small minority of people seething due to the fact he is a barrister and has a few quid but that doesn’t change the facts. The letter of the law may or not have prevailed but justice certainly did.

Knew he would walk free. A fancy barrister who knows the law inside and out was always going to get away with murder. If he was working class he would never see the outside of a cell. Fcuking scumbag. Not an ounce of remorse in him.

I fully approve of this verdict – but I have to ask. Why was he roaming his land armed with a rifle and a revolver? Why would anyone need a revolver? How do you come to own a revolver?

Revolver