Courts / Kilkenny / Report

'Call me God': 999 caller said he murdered woman and threatened to murder another

Summary

In a trial held in Kilkenny, Trevor Rowe, aged 29, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 71‑year‑old Ann Butler, who was found dead in her home on Maudlin Street on 20 March 2020. The prosecution presented evidence that Rowe made three anonymous 999 calls on 25 March 2020, each claiming he had killed a woman and that the body was behind Langtons Hotel. In the first call, the caller demanded to be called "God" and threatened further murder if the Gardaí did not take him seriously. The second call repeated the claim that he had stabbed and sliced a woman's throat, and the third call was made from a different number. Garda officers, including control‑room operator Padraic McInerney, recorded the calls and traced the numbers to a mobile phone owned by Noel Pierce, who lived at Cathedral Square. The Gardaí subsequently visited Rowe's home, where he had briefly used Pierce's phone.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Call me God': 999 caller said he murdered woman and threatened to murder another. Charges or matters: murdering 71-year-old Ann Butler at her home at Maudlin Street, Kilkenny on March 20, 2020. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• March 20, 2020 Other
• March 25 2020 Other
• March 25 Other
• March 25, 2020 Other
• 2022-03-01 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report