Hanged murderer to be posthumously pardoned

A convicted murderer who was executed in 1882 is set to be posthumously pardoned on the recommendation of the Government.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan yesterday secured Government approval to recommend to President Michael D. Higgins that he exercise his right to pardon under article 13.6 of the Constitution to Myles Joyce.

My Joyce was one of ten men arrested and charged in August 1882 in connection with the murders of five members of the same family in Maamtrasna, on the border of Co Galway and Co Mayo.

Mr Joyce was one of three men hanged for the crimes in December 1882. Shortly before their executions, the other two men admitted separately that they were in fact guilty but that Mr Joyce was innocent.

This admission was insufficient to postpone or revoke the execution.

A new report by Dr Niamh Howlin of UCD Sutherland School of Law, based on witness statements and the trial processes and procedures, has now concluded that Mr Joyce’s conviction was unsafe.

The report, which is due to be published by the Department of Justice, states that the “trial, conviction and execution of Myles Joyce were unfair by the standards of criminal justice at the time”.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Flanagan said: “This case is very well known, particularly in the West of Ireland, and it is widely regarded as a clear cut case of wrongful conviction and an historic injustice.

“In reaching a decision on this matter, I have carefully considered the Attorney General’s legal advice and the expert report commissioned by the former Taoiseach.

“Myles Joyce is one individual but in coming to a decision on this matter, I was acutely conscious of the symbolism of this pardon and its importance for that reason.”