The DPP is seeking a longer prison sentence for Aaron Brady than the three years he received for trying to pervert the course of justice during his capital murder trial.
The 34-year-old, who’s from Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, is serving a life sentence for murdering Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe during an armed robbery in 2013.
While living in New York after fleeing Ireland in the wake of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe’s murder, Aaron Brady used to get drunk and tell people he did it. One of those people gave a statement to gardai – which was recorded and provided to the defence.
While in prison during his trial, Brady used a mobile phone to record clips from that video – clips which later ended up being widely circulated online. He admitted doing it, and also admitted conspiring with a fellow inmate to convince a key witness not to give evidence in his trial.
The State is appealing what it considers to be the undue leniency of the 3-year prison sentence he received. In cases like this, Lorcan Staines SC, for the DPP, argued that a very clear message needs to be sent out that any attempt to interfere with the administration of justice should be punished “extremely heavily.”
