An appeal by the DPP against an "unduly lenient" three-year jail term imposed on human rights campaigner Vincent McKenna for sexual assaults on his daughter, Sorcha, was adjourned by the Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday, and is now unlikely to be heard until next year.
Lawyers for McKenna raised, as a preliminary issue, whether the appeal was brought within time. Legislation requires that notice of the appeal be served within 28 days from the day sentence was imposed, but Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, for McKenna, said the notice was served on the 29th day after sentence. Counsel for the DPP rejected the claim.
The three-judge court reserved a decision on the submissions, but later lawyers for McKenna returned to the court to say new information had come to light in connection with the service of the notice of appeal. This issue will come before the court again today.