Barrister pleads not guilty to murder of man in 2022

A law professor and barrister has pleaded not guilty to murdering another man at a farm in Tallaght in Dublin almost three years ago.

56-year-old Diarmuid Rossa Phelan is charged with murdering 36-year-old Keith Conlon at Hazelgrove Farm, Kiltalown Lane in Tallaght on 24 February 2022.

A jury of eight men and four women has been sworn in to hear the case. It is due to get under way tomorrow afternoon and is expected to last around six weeks.

Before the jurors were sworn, the trial judge, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford, told the prospective jurors that they should not serve if they knew the accused man or were connected with him in any way.

She also told the jury panel that it was very important that they did not conduct their own research and did not use the internet, radio or television to help them decide the case.

The judge told them that criminal trials were decided exclusively on the evidence they heard in court.

The potential jurors were also told by Judge Lankford that they should notify her if they lived in, or were originally from Dublin 24, if they knew anything about the events at Hazelgrove Farm or what happened there.

She also warned them that they should notify her if they knew or were social media followers of a number of other named people who may be witnesses or mentioned during the trial.

And she said they should also notify her if they had liked, shared or posted opinions, videos or comments on social media about the accused man or the events at the farm.

Finally, she said she should be notified if any potential jurors were members of any group or social media group relating to the breeding or use of dogs for coursing, foxing or badgering.

The names of potential witnesses were read to the jurors, who were told they should not serve if they knew any of them.

Defence counsel Michael Bowman also read a list of witnesses who may be called by the defence including a dog warden and representatives of the Cattle and Sheep Farmer's Association and the Irish Farmers’ Association as well as an engineer, a pathologist, a ballistics expert and an architect.

Judge Lankford warned the 12 members of the jury not to discuss the case with anyone else.