Conor Courtney

Northern Ireland's High Court has struck out a negligence claim against publishers of personal information relating to a young offender. However, the court also denied the Daily Mail's request to strike out proceedings on the basis of want of prosecution and abuse of process. The court found that al

A journalist who was sued by pro-Brexit businessman Arron Banks for libel in relation to a TED talk video and a tweet has won in the High Court of Justice (Queen's Bench Division). The court found that although the statements in the video were defamatory, there was a legitimate public interest defen

Northern Ireland's High Court has rejected all grounds of appeal against an extradition warrant to Poland. Although Poland’s courts had a "general systemic deficiency", the court held that this did not create a presumption that the applicant would be denied a fair trial. The applicant, Kamil C

Northern Ireland’s High Court has rejected several grounds of challenge against planning permission for a GAA stadium in Casement Park, Belfast. In a post script, Mr Justice Michael Humphreys also rebuked counsel over an expert witness who said the planning permission was "unlawful", which dem

A judge in Northern Ireland's High Court has rebuked lawyers over an expert witness who said the planning permission at the centre of the case was "unlawful". Mr Justice Michael Humphreys made the remarks after rejecting several grounds of challenge against planning permission for a GAA stadium in C

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal by a convicted terrorist who was sentenced to a 22-year minimum life sentence after killing a prison officer in a car bombing. The court found that killing a prison officer warranted a lengthy sentence, and the appellant’s alleged

Northern Ireland’s High Court has granted leave for judicial review to a woman who was refused permission to exhume her husband's body and rebury him alongside her daughter. The applicant launched legal proceedings against the Department for Communities (DfC) after she was refused permission b

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has refused leave to apply for judicial review to a landfill company which was served with an abatement notice for causing an emission nuisance. The appellant failed to convince the court that the statutory appeals scheme was inadequate. The applicant, owner

Northern Ireland's High Court has rejected a claim that the PSNI cannot ensure an independent investigation into the unsolved Cappagh murders. The application, brought by the brother of one of the victims under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, was found to be "doomed to fail". O

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge to a High Court decision refusing leave to judicially review a School Expulsion Appeal Tribunal. The court rejected the student’s claim that alternative options to expulsion had not been considered. The appellant, now aged 18,

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed a claim that a prisoner’s human rights were infringed when his housing benefit was denied for four months during his period of imprisonment. The court found that there had been no discrimination between treatment of convicted and unconvict

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has delivered a judgment on the appropriate method for calculating custody expiry dates for prisoners facing concurrent sentences. The court rejected the argument that the calculation of a release date for one offence must take into consideration any period o

A Northern Ireland Crown Court sitting in Belfast has determined that James McVeigh will go 18 years without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the 2019 murder of Paul Smyth. The court’s decision was impacted by aggravating factors, such as the fact that McVeigh was out on bail

Northern Ireland’s High Court has dismissed a man's claim to reverse a bankruptcy order where it was argued that his delay in selling cattle had been caused by pending litigation and the pandemic. In addition, the debtor's request for an extension of time to set aside the statutory demand upon

Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal regarding a decision by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The court found that it was not reasonable for the PSNI to reopen one specific legacy case because new evidence came to light, and rejected the argument that they h