Gangster 'Fat' Freddie Thompson in bid to overturn murder conviction

A man from Dublin has launched an appeal against his life sentence for the 2016 murder of a business owner in the capital. The defendant, aged 42, was convicted in 2018 at the Special Criminal Court of involvement in the killing, which occurred on Bridgeroot Street on 1 July. The victim, aged 55, was shot multiple times whilst at a shop counter. At the Court of Appeal, the defence argued that the conviction should be overturned owing to the absence of documented procedures surrounding gardaí identification of the appellant from CCTV footage. The defence contended that no records were kept of how officers were instructed to view the footage, citing contrast with UK police protocols. The State's counsel responded that the CCTV evidence was of sufficient quality for assessment and that conviction would be safe even without such identification evidence. The court has reserved judgment on the appeal.