Case: Patrick Conlon

Anne Maguire, Patrick Maguire, Patrick Maguire, Vincent Maguire, Sean Smyth, Patrick O’Neil and Patrick Conlon (known as the Maguire 7) were convicted of possessing nitroglycerine after a search of the house found traces under the male defendants nails and on gloves in the house. The appeal was allowed on the basis of problems with the forensic science used in the case. It was shown that contamination could have been the result of contact with hands that had been in contact with explosives, rather than direct contact. There were also failures by the Crown to disclose results of other tests (e.g. negative tests for the presence of nitrotoluols).