Calls for government to update legislation following Dwyer verdict
There are calls for new laws on data retention to be brought forward before Christmas in response to yesterday's judgement in relation to Graham Dwyer's case.
Mr Dwyer won a legal action over the use of data from mobile phones during his trial.
In 2015, he was convicted for the murder of Elaine O'Hara.
The High Court ruled Irish laws on the retention of phone data are in breach of EU rules and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall says the government now needs to urgently bring forward legislation to address this.
"The previous Chief Justice, John Murray, gave a very stinging account of the fact that our legislation is so out of date," said Deputy Shortall.
"So the government needs to start taking this issue very seriously and introduce today's legislation as a matter of urgency.
"Ideally before the Christmas break but if not certainly in the month of January."
Meanwhile, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says it is too early to tell if yesterday's judgement will affect other cases.
"That still has to play out whether it will affect other cases," said CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Noeline Blackwell.
"This particular case, the judge was clear, was on its own facts and its own circumstances and does not actually even give an indication for the appeal of which this is part but it doesn't give an indication for other cases as well.
"However, the trouble is that the State has known for a while that it had a problem with its data legislation."
