Stephen Matthews Acquitted of all Charges 

Stephen Matthews has today been acquitted of all charges arising out of allegations that he attended a protest at Pitt Park.

The prosecution’s case rested heavily on identification evidence, which was firmly challenged by the defence from the outset. During the course of the trial, the defence team raised serious concerns about the reliability of this evidence, arguing that it failed to meet the necessary threshold to support a conviction.

In its ruling today, the Court agreed, finding that the identification evidence was unreliable. As a result, Mr. Matthews was acquitted of all charges.

Mr. Matthews was represented by Peter Corrigan and Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, who have acted throughout the proceedings.

Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law confirmed that consideration is now being given to civil proceedings.

“Today’s result vindicates our client, who from the outset has strenuously denied involvement in these offences.  The Court’s decision is clear. The identification evidence that allegedly placed our client at the scene was fatally flawed. 

We will now be considering our options in terms of possible civil action for malicious prosecution and unlawful arrest” 

The outcome of the case has raised wider questions about the use of identification evidence in prosecutions relating to public protests.