Sentence of death by hanging was passed at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Henry White (34), a plumber, of Andersonstown, Belfast who was found guilty of the murder of Detective Officer George Mordaunt at Donnycarney, Dublin on October 24, 1942.
The execution date was named as January 3, 1947.
Asked if he had anything to say, White replied in a firm voice: ‘I just wish to thank counsel for the magnificent defence on my behalf.’
Earlier Mr George Murnaghan, SC for the prosecution, submitted that if the man was legally entitled to be arrested at a particular point of time and fired a shot because he did not wish to be arrested and because he was intent on resisting arrest with violence and, in firing that shot, killed a person who could have legally arrested him, it was murder.
The president of the court, summing up, said the medical evidence had shown beyond reasonable doubt that a .45 bullet could not have passed through the detective officer’s skull and, consequently, he was not killed b a bullet fired by one of his fellow detectives.
The only gun with smaller calibre in the immediate vicinity was that carried by White.
