Cork murder trial hears evidence of 'suspect car' which made U-turn near where remains were found

Over eight weeks of garda analysis concentrating on the lights of ‘the suspect car’ on roads around East Cork in the Kieran Quilligan murder investigation indicated a particular point where it made a U-turn close to where the remains of the deceased were ultimately found.

Sergeant Brian Barron said that the examination of vehicle lights – in particular in the early hours of September 4 2023 – were carried out at a time when it was still a missing person investigation rather than a murder probe as the remains had not then been found.

Sgt Barron gave detailed evidence on the tracking of the movements of what was referred to as the suspect car – the Toyota Rav – in the early hours of September 4 2023. The methodology in his analysis entailed looking at the movement of vehicles by reference to their lights, where the CCTV did not always clearly show the vehicles themselves. 

In order to facilitate identification, the Rav movements were analysed by reference to a number of other vehicles travelling, for instance, from the Midleton direction towards Whitegate in East Cork after 3am on September 4 2023, beginning with a Top Oil tanker and ending several minutes behind with a Maxol tanker, and one of the cars in between them being the Rav.

Using this method, Sgt Barron testified that near a long sweeping bend where the remains of Kieran Quilligan were found in January 2024, the movement of the lights of the Rav were indicative of a U-turn after 3.40am on September 4 2023 and that following this turn it took 16 minutes and 18 seconds before the Rav passed the next CCTV camera 1.1 kms away, travelling in the direction of the N25.

27-year-old Luke Taylor, formerly of Cherry Lawn, Blackrock, Cork, and 33-year-old Niall Long, 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.

Search warrants were executed a fortnight after the disappearance of Kieran Quilligan for searches of the home of one of the accused, Niall Long, and the white Toyota Rav parked outside. Sergeant Brian Barron said his first impression of the car was that: “It was very clean – I could smell cleaning products from the car like it had been valeted.” 

Outside the house at St Michael’s Close was a white bucket containing a rag and cleaning products, including one from Halfords. The bucket with contents was seized by gardaí, put into an evidence bag and was made an exhibit in the case today.

Detective Sergeant Eamon Feehan who obtained the search warrants commented in relation to the Toyota Rav that on a cursory look on September 15 2023 it was particularly clean.

Sergeant Maurice O’Connor gave evidence of seizing a Nokia mobile phone at the house that day. Sergeant Fergal O’Brien was also involved in the search and he seized a grey Under Armour backpack found on the floor of Niall Long’s bedroom.

Scenes of crime examiner, Detective Garda Alan Crowley, testified that he observed two bloodlike substances in the boot of the Rav and he swabbed these marks on September 16 2023.

Detective Garda John Madigan also gave evidence of forensic examination of the interior of the car including the boot. He used Luminol spray, a chemical reagent designed for the examination of suspected bloodstaining, which gives a brief luminescence or glow to indicate the possibility of blood although it does not conclusively confirm blood.

Det Garda Madigan got a number of luminescent reactions in the boot area and on the bars of a headrest found in the boot. There were similar reactions in the back seat area and no luminous reactions in the front compartment of the car.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford and the ten men and two women of the jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.