Alan Cawley denies murder charges in Castlebar brothers case

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Alan Cawley has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to charges of murdering Thomas Blaine and John (Jack) Blaine. The charges relate to their deaths at New Antrim Street, Castlebar, on 10 July 2013. The proceedings were reported on 13 July 2017.

Cawley has admitted killing the brothers, who were found beaten to death. The report said one of them was disabled and was scalded during the assault.

Michelle Nally told the court that she was socialising at The Irish House in Castlebar on 9 July 2013 when a man accepted to be Cawley approached a couple she knew. She said he claimed to be training as a doctor and to work in the Castlebar mortuary, where he would conduct postmortems on any bodies found in the morning.

Ms Nally said the man claimed that Michael Lacey was going to kill his wife, Maureen, that night. Defence counsel Caroline Biggs put it to her that this was a completely irrational allegation; Ms Nally agreed and said he did not know the couple.

The jury also heard from barman John Ralph, described in the report as the last person besides the accused to see Jack Blaine alive. He said that late on 9 July he brought Blaine a cup of tea and saw him with Cawley. The trial was continuing.