Jury in Cork murder trial have watched a 'staggering quantity' of CCTV footage

The 10 men and two women of the jury in the Kieran Quilligan murder trial in Cork have finished watching CCTV evidence after three days viewing a total of 433 video clips from around Cork city and East Cork taken in September 2023.

Prosecution senior counsel Donal O’Sullivan acknowledged today that they had watched a “staggering quantity of footage.” 

However, he told them that the CCTV manager in the investigation, Sergeant Pat Russell, had distilled these 433 clips down from a much greater quantity of video evidence harvested by gardaí which has been made available to the defence.

On their return after lunch the jury was informed that the evidence of two witnesses would have their statements read to them. 

The evidence was from two farmers in the area of Courtstown, Little Island, County Cork, effectively giving gardaí permission to search their lands.

Once that evidence was given, Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford told the jury that they were having a short day as the afternoon was needed for a legal issue to be discussed in their absence. 

They were told to return to the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork for the resumption of evidence tomorrow.

Luke Taylor (27) formerly of Cherry Lawn, Blackrock, Cork, and, Niall Long (33) formerly of St Michael’s Close, Mahon, Cork, are on trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork facing the same charge of murder. 

The murder count which each man denies, states that on a date unknown between September 1, 2023, and January 29, 2024, at an unknown location within the state in the District Court area of Cork city he did murder Kieran Quilligan, (47), contrary to Common Law.

Opening the case last week, Mr O’Sullivan said it would be alleged by the prosecution that the instigating factor in the case was an assault by the late Mr Quilligan and another man on Niall Long on the morning of September 1, 2023. 

Mr O’Sullivan said Kieran Quilligan disappeared that night and his remains were discovered in a garda search of land in Little Island four months later.