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Former Sinn Féin councillor and father have their prison sentences cut on appeal

Jonathan Dowdall is a former Dublin Sinn Féin councillor
Jonathan Dowdall is a former Dublin Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall is a former Dublin Sinn Féin councillor

A FORMER Sinn Féin councillor jailed along with this father for torturing a man they both suspected of trying to defraud them, have had their prison sentences cut on appeal.

Jonathan Dowdall (39), with an address on the Navan Road, Dublin and his father Patrick Dowdall (61), of the same address, had both pleaded guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Alexander Hurley and threatening to kill him at Jonathan's family home on January 15 2015.

Footage recorded on a mobile phone was shown to the court of Jonathan Dowdall wearing a balaclava and holding a tea-towel to the man's face before pouring water over his head, in what is commonly known as water-boarding.

Patrick Dowdall was heard threatening to pull off Mr Hurley’s fingers one-by-one with a pliers.

Jonathan Dowdall was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and Patrick Dowdall eight years imprisonment by the three-judge court on June 1 , 2017.

The Dowdalls successfully appealed their sentences today with the Court of Appeal holding that the Special Criminal Court’s criticisms of the decision to challenge certain aspects of the injured party’s account, in what is known as a ‘Newton Hearing’, were “not justified”.

Further errors were identified in the Special Criminal Court’s characterisation of the timing of the Dowdalls guilty pleas and the discounts afforded for mitigating circumstances.

Jonathan Dowdall was re-sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final 25 months suspended and Patrick Dowdall to seven with the final three years suspended.