Mr Justice Carney has clarified the source of letters he had received in connection with the case of a Dublin woman found guilty of the manslaughter of her husband.
At a sitting yesterday of the Central Criminal Court in Sligo, Mr Justice Carney said that on Monday he had referred to "improper communications" he had received relating to the case of Dolores O'Neill.
On Monday he sentenced O'Neill, Coolamber Park, Knocklyon, Dublin, to eight years in prison for the manslaughter of her husband.
The judge said that he always disclosed improper communications made to him behind the backs of the parties involved in litigation. He had not disclosed the source of the letters, what side of the argument the source was from, or even the gender of the person who sent the letters.
"Independent Newspapers leapt to a totally erroneous conclusion and attributed them to a member of the O'Neill family. This was false," said Mr Justice Carney. He added that the letters had come from the other side of the argument. He said he would be raising this matter at a sitting of the court in Dublin next Monday where he would clarify the matter further.