GARDA KILLER BRADY FOUND GUILTY AGAIN
Evil gun murderer of hero officer perverted the course of justice
Concerns raised were remote as the Court of Appeal had not overturned the conviction
LORCAN STAINES PROSECUTION COUNSEL AGAINST MEDIA BAN
AARON Brady, who shot and killed Det Gda Adrian Donohoe, has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice during his murder trial in 2020.
Brady, 33, appeared at the Special Criminal Court yesterday and admitted he was responsible for recording and posting footage of an interview between gardai and Ronan Flynn.
Mr Flynn was a witness who told gardai he had heard Brady admit to shooting the officer three times.
The video was later posted on social media accusing Mr Flynn of “touting” and calling him a “rat”.
Mr Flynn did not give evidence at Brady’s trial in 2020 and Mr Justice Michael White, who oversaw the murder trial, described the release of the footage as “the most outrageous contempt of court” and a clear attempt to intimidate
Mr Flynn and other witnesses. Brady is further charged with a count of conspiring with Dean Byrne to persuade a State witness not to testify at the same trial.
Brady did not enter a plea in relation to that charge but prosecution counsel Lorcan Staines SC said it should be taken into account at sentencing.
Following the arraignment, presiding judge Mr Justice Paul Burns adjourned sentencing to May 29 and refused an application from Brady’s lawyers to prevent the media reporting Brady’s guilty plea.
Michael O’higgins SC, for Brady, argued media coverage of Brady’s attempt to pervert the course of justice could prejudice a future trial if his client’s murder conviction is overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Brady, formerly of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh is serving a life sentence with a minimum of 40 years after he was convicted by a jury of murdering Det Gda Donohoe during a robbery at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Jenkinstown, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.
He appealed his conviction last November and is awaiting a decision. Mr Staines pointed out the Constitution requires justice be done in public and principle should only be deviated from in exceptional cases. The concerns raised were “remote”, he said, as the Court of Appeal has not overturned the conviction and there is no guarantee any potential retrial would take place in front of a jury.
Counsel told the court Brady’s father, Tony Brady, has conducted an online campaign which included “vitriolic commentary” regarding prosecution witnesses, gardai, prosecution lawyers and the original trial judge Mr Justice Michael White.
Refusing the defence application, Mr Justice Burns said a retrial is “simply a possibility and no more than a possibility” and any mischief from reporting of the plea could be remedied by a trial judge directing a jury to try the case based on the evidence they hear in court.
Byrne, 30, from Cabra Park, Phibsborough, Dublin, remains on trial for the conspiracy charge.