Trial of two brothers accused of murdering Offaly farmer collapses

The trial of two brothers, who were accused of murdering an Offaly farmer in a dispute over a stray cow, collapsed at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday. Daniel-Joseph 'DJ' Byrne (aged 38), and Jason Byrne (aged 32), both of Hammer Lane, Borness, Mountmellick, Co Laois, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Offaly farmer Edward 'Eddie' Dempsey (aged 49) on October 11, 2007. The seven-day trial was stopped after Mr Justice George Birmingham told the jury that both legal teams in the case had been discussing legal matters in their absence. "The difficulties identified are insuperable . . . it is now clear the trial has to come to a halt," he informed the jury. "What has happened is extremely unfortunate, but seems to be unavoidable." The six men and six women were then exempted from jury service for life. On Wednesday Mr Justice Birmingham told the jury that it was with "regret" that he would have to discharge them, and he said the trial would proceed in front of a different jury at a later date.