Sentence Review and Release
Supreme Court judge Hugh O'Flaherty intervened on Sheedy's behalf after an "entirely by chance" encounter between the judge, who was walking his dog, and the son of a neighbour Ken Anderson and Anderson's girlfriend, who was Philip Sheedy's sister, in October 1998. After the encounter, Dublin County Registrar Michael Quinlan was called to Mr. Justice O'Flaherty's chambers to have Sheedy's case re-listed.
On 12 November 1998, after O'Flaherty's intervention, Sheedy's sentence was reviewed before Mr. Justice Cyril Kelly, and not Judge Matthews, as would be the correct procedure. After the brief hearing Mr. Justice Kelly remitted what was left of Sheedy's sentence. Neither the gardaí nor the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) were told of the review or the fact that Sheedy was released. The only representation by the state was the appearance of a clerk in the Chief State Solicitor's office who saw a listing for the matter and brought the file to court but did not know for what purpose.
Read more about this topic: Philip Sheedy Affair
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