Courts / Tipperary / Report

'Mr Moonlight' appeal involves 5,500 pages of trial transcript

Date
2020-10-09

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Tipperary

Summary

Patrick Quirke, aged 50, is appealing his conviction for the murder of Bobby "Mr Moonlight" Ryan, who was found dead in an underground tank in April 2013. The Court of Appeal heard that the appeal will involve 5,500 pages of trial transcript, with the State's documents still pending. Three days have been set aside for the hearing, with a possible extra day, and free legal aid has been approved. Quirke's counsel, Bernard Condon, aims to finish the appeal within the three days if possible. The appeal follows a 13‑week trial where a jury found Quirke guilty by a 10‑2 majority, and he received a mandatory life sentence. The case centres on allegations that Quirke killed Ryan to rekindle a relationship with Mary Lowry and staged the body's discovery after Lowry tried to terminate his lease. Quirke denies the murder and claims the prosecution failed to prove beyond suspicion, citing inconsistencies in Lowry's testimony.