Trial that collapsed due to RTÉ Prime Time segment to begin in November

Keith Brady, 31, went on trial last year charged with the murder of Martin ‘Matt’ Kivlehan between 2-3 August 2015 at Mr Kivlehan’s home in Sligo.

Brady pleaded not guilty to the murder but guilty to Mr Kivlehan’s manslaughter.

Following a ten-day trial, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart discharged the jury and criticised what she described as a “parallel justice system in the court of public opinion” which operated without “any regard to the courts at trial”.

She added: “You have to sit through a criminal trial from beginning to end to get the full picture. In this day of instant communications and instant response, this parallel running commentary ongoing in both media and on other public platforms and social media comment is quite concerning.”

Ms Justice Stewart was responding to a segment of the Prime Time show the previous night, which a defence barrister for Mr Brady said had “rubbished” the defence of provocation on which he was partially relying. The jury had already begun deliberating when the programme aired and it emerged that five of them watched the show.

The trial will begin on 4 November 2019 and is expected to last two weeks. This will be the third time Mr Brady has gone on trial charged with this offence.

Eoin Reynolds, Ireland International News Agency Ltd.