Courts / Tipperary / Report

Bobby Ryan died from blunt force trauma to head, pathologist tells Moonlight trial

Date
2019-03-27

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Tipperary

Summary

In the ongoing trial of Patrick Quirke, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder of part-time DJ Bobby Ryan, Professor Jack Crane provided expert pathologist evidence. Crane, a former State Pathologist for Northern Ireland, reviewed the post-mortem conducted by Dr. Khalid Jaber, who was unavailable to testify. He confirmed that Ryan died from blunt force trauma to the head, causing brain bleeding, with injuries including skull fractures, nine rib fractures, and a femur fracture. Crane stated these severe head injuries could not have resulted from a simple fall into the tank where the body was found 22 months after Ryan went missing in June 2011. He rejected the possibility of a motor vehicle collision, noting the injury pattern was inconsistent with such an impact. Crane also testified that it was plausible the body was placed rather than thrown into the sealed tank, citing the unnatural position of the arms and limited insect infestation. During cross-examination, Crane criticized aspects of Dr. Jaber's report, including incorrect assumptions about toxicity and insufficient examination of the skull. He noted that concrete fragments fell on the body during recovery, which he had not previously known about. The trial continues, with no verdict or sentence recorded at this stage.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Bobby Ryan died from blunt force trauma to head, pathologist tells Moonlight trial. Charges or matters: the murder of part-time DJ Bobby Ryan. Procedural stage: trial

When:

June 3, 2011 Hearing Or Sentence
April 2013 Other
2019-03-27 Publication

Why: He also said that he finds the language in Dr Jaber's reports "confusing" , adding that this may be because English is not Dr Jaber's first language. CNI source report