The Ireland edition of The Times and The Sunday Times have been honoured for excellence in reporting on legal issues at the Justice Media Awards in Dublin.

Ellen Coyne, of The Times, won an overall award in the digital/online category for her series of articles on the criminalisation of the purchase of sex while Mark Tighe, of The Sunday Times, took the print court reporting award for his feature “What the jury didn’t hear” on the legal argument in a major court case.

Ellen’s work was praised for “providing incredibly detailed insight” through interviews with sex workers and their advocates as well as anti-trafficking campaigners. Her comparisons with international regimes, commentary from politicians, police representatives, and more, was also noted.

“Broaching an incredibly sensitive topic with skill and journalistic dexterity, the articles shine a light on discussions that must be had, but that most shy away from. They also highlight the potential unintended consequences of well-intentioned legislation. This extensive body of work stands out for its detail, balance and human interest,” the judges said.

Mark, who has won a number of justice media awards in recent years,  was congratulated by the judging panel for providing  a unique insight into the civil claim for damages taken by Ian Bailey, a self-confessed suspect in a murder case, against the Irish state.

They said his article “delved deeply into the astonishing amount of evidence that was not presented to the jury”.

“The case, which ran for five months, was ultimately dismissed by the jury after just two hours of deliberation. The often bizarre proceedings were characterised by protracted legal argument in the absence of the jury and considerable rancour among the parties. Putting on public record the legal arguments, this report expertly outlined the excluded evidence, the reasons, and the key personalities involved.”

Mark also received a merit certificate in the Sunday newspapers category for his article “The Conspiracy” about a court action taken by Denis O’Brien, the billionaire businessman, over the contents of a dossier created by a Dublin PR firm.

The win for the Ireland edition of The Times was the digital-only newspaper’s first award since its launch last September.

“It’s great that the work of our journalists is being recognised and Ellen fully deserved her award. Such recognition of our journalism shows that the Ireland edition of The Times has managed to gain traction in the Irish market within a very short period of time and we look forward to building on this success. The Times is offered as a digital pack in Ireland with The Sunday Times and, as Mark winning yet another justice media award clearly shows, the two titles offer subscribers a quality read 7-days a week,” Richie Oakley, editor of Ireland edition of The Times, said.