Jury retires for night in Noel Long murder trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Noel Long pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of Nora Sheehan. The proceedings were reported on 3 August 2023.

The charge alleged that Mr Long, of Maulbawn, Passage West, Co Cork, murdered Ms Sheehan, 54, at an unknown place in the State between 6 and 12 June 1981. Her body was found at The Viewing Point, Shippool Woods in Cork, six days after she went missing.

On 3 August 2023, the jury retired for the night after deliberating for more than three hours. Trial judge Mr Justice Paul McDermott said he understood that some jurors had personal commitments that evening.

The trial heard that elements relied on by the prosecution included circumstantial evidence. It also heard that a partial DNA profile from semen obtained from Ms Sheehan’s body in 1981 matched DNA on a beanie hat taken from Mr Long in 2021. The jury heard that more than 280 exhibits had been lost.