Damages claim brought by late Peter Pringle over unsafe murder conviction struck out
High Court Reporters
Legal actions brought by the late Peter Pringle against the State over his conviction and the 15-years he spent behind bars for crimes he was later acquitted of have been brought to an end.
The long running proceedings, the High Court heard on Thursday, were struck out due to Mr Pringle's death earlier this year, and because none of his family wished to continue the actions.
Mr Pringle was convicted of the murders of two gardaí John Morley and Henry Byrne during a bank robbery in Ballaghadreen, Co Roscommon in July 1980.
He was released from prison after his convictions were deemed unsafe and quashed in 1995.
Mr Pringle had brought two separate actions, including a damages claim, over his conviction and lengthy incarceration.
When the cases were mentioned before Mr Justice Rory Mulcahy on Thursday counsel for Mr Pringle, Paul Carroll SC, instructed by solicitor Siuna Bartels, said that two actions brought by his late client could be struck out.
Counsel said that following Mr Pringle's death in January it was not believed that the cases could proceed.
Even if they could, counsel said that no member of Mr Pringle's family wished to continue the actions.
In the circumstances there was agreement that matters should be brought to a finality, and counsel said the State was not objecting to the actions being struck out, with no orders being made in respect of the legal costs of the High Court actions.
Counsel said that there were no objections to costs orders made in favour of Mr Pringle by the Court of Appeal, in relation to motions in the case that court had considered, remaining in place.
Robert Barron SC for the State said it was not objecting to what has been proposed by Mr Carroll.
Following submissions from counsel the judge agreed to strike out the cases.
Mr Pringle who was based in Glenicmurrin Costelloe, Co Galway was sentenced to death in 1981, following a trial at the Special Criminal Court, for the murder of the two gardai.
After his convictions were quashed, he brought proceedings against the State including a claim that the state was negligent and breached his constitutional rights because crucial evidence was not disclosed to him prior to his trial at the SCC.
After his death sentence was commuted to 40 years in jail, he served 14 years and 10 months in prison, before the then Court of Criminal Appeal in 1995 found his convictions to be unsafe and unsatisfactory.
Two other men were convicted of the murders and were released from prison in 2013.
In 2019 the High Court, following an application by the State, dismissed Mr Pringle's actions, which originated in the 1990s, on the grounds that he was responsible for inordinate and inexcusable delay in progressing his actions.
The State argued that it would be prejudiced by the fact that many relevant witnesses would not be available due to death and untraceability.
Mr Pringle successfully appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal.
In 2022 the COA set aside the High Court's decision on the basis that a key legal issue in the case that needed to be determined had not been addressed.
The COA remitted the case back to High Court for a fresh consideration, where the case remained pending and awaiting a hearing date until Mr Pringle's demise.
