Kevin Winters

Belfast firm KRW LAW is acting on behalf of Osgur Breatnach, one of the six men arrested and allegedly beaten by gardaí following the 1976 Sallins train robbery.

Convicted in the Special Criminal Court on the basis of what he alleges was a forced confession, Mr Breatnach ultimately succeeded in quashing his conviction on appeal in 1980.

However, his lawyers say he has never been fully exonerated due to the State’s failure to concede that his conviction was a miscarriage of justice.

There have been repeated calls for a statutory public inquiry into the Sallins case, but the government has said it does not believe there is any “urgent public interest” in an inquiry.

Mr Breatnach’s lawyers have now filed an application under section 9 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1993, seeking to have his prosecution certified as a miscarriage of justice.

The application cites RTÉ investigations into the so-called ‘Heavy Gang’ alleged to have extracted false confessions from a number of detainees in the 1970s and 1980s.

Following a preliminary hearing yesterday, a hearing date in the Court of Appeal has been fixed for 6 October 2025.

Human rights lawyer Kevin Winters said: “We say the information now widely known about the gardaí who tortured Osgur, together with the systemic practices of the so called ‘Heavy Gang’, requires fresh judicial oversight.

“We are confident the court will engage positively on what we feel is a credible and strong application.

“It has taken a long time to get to the point for Osgur. I commend his absolute determination and resolution to see this through to a conclusion.

“He isn’t alone, as history has shown repeatedly that the road to getting justice and closure is often replete with delay and obfuscation.

“To that end, the Sallins injustice debacle is no different from so many other long-running unresolved miscarriages where victims still await their day in court.

“Osgur’s first day in court after nearly half a century arrived today. He looks forward to the hearing date fixed this morning.”