In a judgement delivered earlier this year by Ms Justice Iseult O’Malley, the Supreme Court found that life sentences for a child convicted of murder should only be imposed in exceptional cases where the evidence showed their intentions and actions were akin to those of an adult.

Noel Blair said a Supreme Court ruling last week that prohibited the naming of the young man who was convicted of murdering his son was 'a very sore point'

A separate Supreme Court ruling means that a small number of people who were sentenced as children to life sentences are now serving straightforward life sentences

The court returned the judgement on Friday in the case of a 21-year-old who was 17 when he murdered Cameron Blair in Cork city

Anne Rowland SC, for the DPP said the sentencing judge noted that the appellant "fully understood the nature and likely consequence of what he was doing".