Patrick Quirke pleads not guilty to murder

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

Patrick Quirke, of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Bobby Ryan at an unknown location on a date between 3 June 2011 and 30 April 2013. The proceedings at the Central Criminal Court were reported on 12 February 2019.

Garda witnesses gave evidence about searches at a farm in Fawnagowan in the days after Mr Ryan, a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, went missing. His remains were found there almost two years later; Mr Quirke discovered the body on Mary Lowry’s farm.

Garda John O'Connor said the searches were part of a missing-person investigation and that it would have been normal not to take photographs, videos or notes while searching. He said anything of evidential value would have been preserved and his superiors notified. Under cross-examination, he agreed he had made his statement 22 months after the searches.

Sergeant Tom Finan said he made a second statement on 11 February 2019 after seeing an aerial photograph of the farm. He had realised that, when he made his first statement, he did not know the correct location where the body was found. He said it was found in a tank elsewhere on the farm, not in a slurry tank, and his additional statement described seeing round silage bales at that location.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Bernard Condon, Sgt Finan said he had asked to see the photograph and denied it had been shown to him to assist his trial evidence. After the jury heard a recording of earlier evidence, he accepted that he had previously said he was shown the photograph to refresh him. He said seeing it would help put things in perspective and that nothing else was discussed.