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Prisoner officer tells trial that accused told him he used phone to make threats
Summary
During a trial, a former prison officer, David McDonald, testified that Michael Murray, a 50‑year‑old former Killiney resident, had claimed he possessed a phone that he would only hand over to Gardaí. McDonald recounted a lengthy conversation with Murray on 11 May 2015, in which Murray said he had a phone in his anus that had been given to him by his solicitor. Murray was upset over money he alleged had disappeared from a German bank account and admitted using the phone to contact the barristers who had prosecuted him for rape in 2013. McDonald noted that Murray was adamant he would not surrender the phone to prison officers, fearing the evidence would be wiped, and that he would only give it to Gardaí or under a Section 42 warrant. The trial, presided over by Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury, continues tomorrow. Michael Murray pleaded not guilty.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Prisoner officer tells trial that accused told him he used phone to make threats. Charges or matters: threatening to kill barristers Dominic McGinn SC and Tony McGillicuddy BL, who prosecuted him for rape in 2013; all of these charges; having the phone without the consent of the governor of the Midlands Prison on May 11, 2015; giving a mobile phone to a prisoner at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- May 11, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2021-06-24 Publication
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: threatening to kill barristers Dominic McGinn SC and Tony McGillicuddy BL, who prosecuted him for rape in 2013; all of these charges; having the phone without the consent of the governor of the Midlands Prison on May 11, 2015; giving a mobile phone to a prisoner at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise (Alleged Or Contested)
Plea: Not guilty
Places mentioned
Topics
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