WALTER MORRISSEY'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN CO KILKENNY AND TIPPERARY LEAD TO LOSS OF APPEAL

In May 2018, the Court of Appeal delivered a decisive ruling against Walter Morrissey, a man with a long and violent criminal history rooted in Co Kilkenny. Morrissey, aged 70 and residing on Upper Bridge Street in Callan, Co Kilkenny, had previously been convicted of a heinous sexual assault that drew comparisons to 'rape with a machete,' a crime that left a woman with severe injuries and life-threatening wounds.

The conviction stemmed from a trial held in 2013 at the Central Criminal Court, where harrowing medical evidence was presented. It was revealed that Morrissey had used his fist to tear a 6-centimeter tear in the victim’s vaginal area. When she was brought to hospital, the attending doctor expressed shock at her condition, stating that he did not know how she was still alive. Gynaecologist Ray O’Sullivan described the injury as one more typically seen in women subjected to machete attacks in Sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring the brutality of the assault.

Beyond this recent conviction, Morrissey’s criminal record is extensive and disturbing. In 1977, he was convicted of double manslaughter after deliberately driving his car into a father and son in Mullinahone, Co Tipperary. The victims were Francis McEnery and his four-year-old son Marcus, who was out walking with his father at the time. Morrissey’s reckless act resulted in their deaths, and he received a four-year prison sentence for this double homicide.

His criminal history also includes a conviction in 1999 for seven counts of indecent assault against a woman. The severity of his crimes was further acknowledged in 2013 when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison. During that sentencing, Mr Justice George Birmingham described Morrissey as a cunning, devious, and manipulative individual who posed a significant threat to public safety.

In the wake of his 2013 conviction, Morrissey sought to challenge the verdict through an appeal. He raised four grounds for appeal, primarily arguing that the trial judge had erred in not allowing him sufficient time to instruct a new solicitor after he dismissed his legal team on the eighth day of the trial. Morrissey claimed that the judge’s decision to deny him a new legal representative hindered his ability to defend himself properly.

He also contended that the judge should have taken into account his concerns following the discharge of two jurors during the trial, which left only ten jurors to decide the case. Additionally, Morrissey argued that the trial should have been halted altogether after the victim, during cross-examination, revealed that Morrissey was a registered sex offender and was listed on the sex offender register. He believed that such a revelation prejudiced the jury against him.

However, the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices John Edwards, Alan Mahon, and John Hedigan, dismissed all of Morrissey’s grounds for appeal. Justice Edwards, delivering the judgment, explained that the defense team did not immediately object when the victim mentioned Morrissey’s sex offender status. Instead, they chose to continue with the trial and only later requested the jury to be discharged. The court noted that this tactical decision was significant and that the defense’s delay in objecting meant the appeal could not be sustained.

Furthermore, the court found that Morrissey’s legal team had consulted him before the discharge of the two jurors, and he had expressed no objection to their removal. Regarding his complaint about the trial proceeding after he dismissed his legal team, Justice Edwards stated that the trial judge acted correctly and appropriately. He emphasized that it is not permissible for an accused person to intentionally disrupt proceedings or seek a retrial by dismissing their legal representation if they believe the trial is not going in their favor.

As Morrissey was led away to serve his 13-year sentence, he shouted at the judges, calling the proceedings a '100 per cent insult' and referring to the court officials as 'a heap of crooks' and 'liars.' His outburst underscored his ongoing hostility and refusal to accept the court’s ruling, but the appeal’s rejection effectively confirmed his conviction and sentence, closing a chapter on a series of violent and disturbing crimes linked to Co Kilkenny and Co Tipperary.