IRELAND
Waterford News & Star
Friday, December 09, 2005
FORMER Mercy nun Nora Wall can now sue the State for damages after the Court of Criminal Appeal declared that her wrongful conviction for the rape of a 10 year-old girl at a Cappoquin child care home was a miscarriage of justice.
The 57 year-old woman’s nine-year ordeal ended last Thursday when the court made its declaration. Outlining the court’s decision, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said he was satisfied based on newly discovered facts in the case that a miscarriage of justice had taken place.
Key among these new facts was the admission by Patricia Phelan, a crucial witness at Ms Wall’s trial six years ago, to gardai and a nun, Sr. Mona Killeen, that she lied about seeing Ms Wall hold down a young girl while a man raped her at St. Michael’s Child Care Centre in Cappoquin.