Courts / Tipperary / Report

Exhibits officer tells Moonlight trial he doesn't recall being told about hairclip

Date
2019-02-27

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Tipperary

Summary

In the Patrick Quirke murder trial, Detective Garda Kieran Keane, the exhibits officer, testified that he does not recall being told about a lady's hair clip taken from the underground tank where DJ Bobby "Mr Moonlight" Ryan's body was found. Keane, appointed in 2011 after Ryan's disappearance, explained his role in securing exhibits and tracking them via an exhibits chart. Item 33 on the chart originally listed a bag of cable ties and pipe covers, later updated after a forensic examination to include the hair clip. Garda Larry Stapleton claimed he had bagged the clip and handed it to Keane, but did not write the contents on the bag. The defense argued that the chart shown to them omitted the clip, while the prosecution noted the chart was amended in January 2019 to reflect the clip's presence. Patrick Quirke pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Exhibits officer tells Moonlight trial he doesn't recall being told about hairclip. Charges or matters: the murder of Bobby Ryan, a part-time DJ going by the name Mr Moonlight. Procedural stage: trial

When: