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Criminal Law in Ireland

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Submitted By HodyasN21
Words 2462
Pages 10
[pic]Maynooth University Department of Law
Declaration on Plagiarism
I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Law and Business, is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work.
Student Name: Nicoletta Hodyas
Student Number: 13383056
Date: 20/04/2015
Student Signature: Nicoletta Hodyas
Assignment title: ‘A majority of the Group is of the view that the current exclusionary rule is too strictly calibrated, and would wish to see a situation develop where the court would have a discretion to admit the evidence or not, having regard to the totality of the circumstances and in particular the rights of the victim’ (Balance in the Criminal Law Review Group, 2007: 161).

Word count without bibliography: 1997.

Introduction.

This essay will analyze the exclusionary rule, focusing on its development mainly in Irish law. It will examine the development of the rule providing the arguments for an urgent change and analyze the Gardaí improvements in accountability. Finally, it focuses on the most recent Supreme Court decision in DPP v. JC [1], which overturned decision in People (DPP) v. Kenny[2].

Exclusionary rule allows evidence that was obtained through deliberate and conscious breach of accused’s constitutional rights to be excluded in the case, unless extraordinary circumstances appear. The rule prohibits all evidence unconstitutionally obtained regardless of the relevance of the evidence. There is also a requirement of a causative link between the breach of the right and obtaining the evidence [3].

Background.

The first Irish leading case raising the issue of exclusionary rule is The People v. O’Brien[4]. The respondent O’Brien was suspected of burglary and possession

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