Category: Human Rights

100 – Provocation & the Gay Panic defence

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Human Rights, Irish Crime, Landmark Case, Mental Health, Povocation, sex crimes, US Crime

There has been a lot of progress in relation to equal rights and protections for members of the LGBTQ+ in Ireland. However, despite decriminalisation in 1993, and the passage of Marriage Equality in 2015, there is still much to do. In addition to requiring effective hate speech legislation, the defence of provocation does allow a person accused of murder to claim that a romantic or sexual advance by an LGBTQ+ person resulted in a loss of control leading to the killing of that person.

In this episode, we explore cases where this partial defence was employed at trial and appeal: the killing of John Roche in 1982, the murder of Gerard Hackett in 2002, and the kidnap and murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in 1998.


Reasearch & Writing by Eileen MacFarlene of the Crimelapse Podcast

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70 – Lives of Violence: Robert Mone

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Human Rights, Insanity Defence, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, Life Sentence, Mental Health, murder, Public Inquiry, Scottish Crimes, Serial Killer, UK Crime, Vintage murder

In 1967, a teacher was shot in her classroom in Dundee.

In 1976, two men escaped a mental hospital and killed three others in the process.

In 1979, three women were found beaten and strangled in a flat in Dundee.

All of these horrific events had one thing in common.

The name Robert Mone.

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69 – The Emergency: The IRA, spies & the murder of Micheal Devereux

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Capital Punishment, Controversial Case, Human Rights, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, Life Sentence, murder, Organised Crime, terrorism, Vintage murder

In 1940, 24 year old Michael Devereux disappeared from his home in Co Wexford. A year later, his body would be discovered buried in an isolated part of Co Tipperary. A number of men who were known members of the IRA found themselves accused of the murder – allegedly motivated by the belief that Devereux had been a spy among their ranks.

A four month legal battle ensued, which saw the use of the Emergency Powers Act passed to deal with “The Emergency” of the ongoing war in Europe used to circumvent due process and normal court procedures in order to hold the men accountable.

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67 – Honor Bright: Murder in the Free State

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn affair, Capital Punishment, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Human Rights, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, love triangle, murder, sex crimes, unsolved, Vintage murder, Wrongly Accused

In 1925, while the Irish Free State was still in its infancy after the close of the civil war, the body of a young woman was found dead lying at a lonely cross roads in South County Dublin. Her name was Honor Bright, a woman who made her living as a sex worker in town.

Two men were tried for her shooting death, but was her killing a the result of her “unfortunate” status, or part of an attempt to keep scandal away from the halls of power in a newly-independent Ireland?

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64 – Hostage at Derrada Woods: The story of Don Tidey

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Human Rights, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, Organised Crime, terrorism, torture, unsolved

In the early 1980s, there was a series of kidnap-for-ransom crimes committed in the Republic by the Provisional IRA in order to raise funds to finance their organisation and its terrorist operations here and in the UK.

One of the victims of these abductions was prominent businessman, Don Tidey, and Englishman who was the senior executive of the Quinnsworth group of supermarkets. Tidey was held for 23 days in Derrada wood, Co Leitrim. He as rescued by the gardai and the army, but a garda probationer and an army private were killed during the operation.

Though a number of people were charged in relation to the kidnap, no one has ever been charged in relation to the two killings.

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63 – Under the cover of Darkness: Dolores Lynch & Lyn Madden

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Domestic Violence, Human Rights, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, Life Sentence, Mental Health, murder, Organised Crime, sex crimes

In 1983, three women died in an horrific house fire at Blackpitts in Dublin. It would emerge that one of them – 34 year old Dolores Lynch – had been targeted by a violent and vengeful pimp. John Cullen was alleged to have held a grudge against the former sex worker for pursuing charges against him for an assault seven years before.

In the course of getting justice for Dolores Lynch, there would be shocking revelations about what went on in Dublin City under the cover of darkness.

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61 – Retrial: The murder of Jong Ok Shin

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Drug-related, Human Rights, Life Sentence, Mental Health, murder, Serial Killer, sex crimes, UK Crime, Wrongly Accused

On 12th July, 2002 Jong Ok Shin a Korean language student was brutally murdered while living in Bournemouth. A local drug addicted man, Omar Benguit was quickly identified as the prime suspect. 

But shortly after, it would emerge that at the time of Ms Shin’s death, a man that had committed two murders, was living just streets away. 

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60 – Siege: The death of John Carthy

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Human Rights, Irish Crime, Landmark Case, Mental Health, Public Inquiry, Wrongly Accused

In April of 2000, 27 year old John Carthy, who suffered from bi-polar disorder, barricaded himself in his family home while in the throws of a manic episode. The gardai were called, and soon the old, dilapidated bungalow was surrounded by armed officers. 

What followed was a standoff that lasted over 24 hours, and resulted in the tragic death of John. 

But where the gardai responsible? 

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59 – A Miscarriage of Justice: Nora Wall

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Controversial Case, Human Rights, Irish Crime, Landmark Case, Life Sentence, Mental Health, sex crimes, Wrongly Accused

In 1996, former nun with the Sisters of Mercy Nora Wall was accused of rape by a girl who had formerly been in her care at a group home in Cappoquin, Co Waterford. Alongside her, a homeless man, Paul “Pablo” McCabe, who had once been resident at the same institution was also implicated.

The two went to trial, but the affair would later be declared a miscarriage of justice. 

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58 – Murder by Mistake: Melanie McCarthy McNamara

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Controversial Case, Drug-related, Human Rights, Irish Crime, Kids who Kill, Life Sentence, murder, Organised Crime

Gangs and drugs effect nearly every community. But in 2012, the Dublin suburb of Tallaght was shocked by the spillover of violence. 16 year old Melanie McCarthy McNamara was shot while she sat in the back of a parked car on a residential street. The gunman had shot from the back of a black SUV and sped off immediately. 

Two men alleged to be involved in drugs locally were identified by gardai, and after protracted court battles have found themselves in prison in relation to Melanie’s killing.

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