Cork court: Phone communications between murder accused outlined at trial

Communications between phones belonging to parties in the Kieran Quilligan murder trial were outlined to the jury today in respect of the day he disappeared.

Rhona Campbell of the Garda Síochána Analysis Service testified today on day 8 of the trial of Niall Long and Luke Taylor who both deny the charge of murder.

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.

Defence senior counsel Ray Boland for Niall Long said that the phone described as Kieran Quilligan’s was also used by his partner, so that a call made on that phone could have been made by her as well as by Mr Quilligan. Ms Campbell agreed with that proposition.

She said there were four calls from Kieran Quilligan’s phone to Niall Long between 10.04am and 11.18am on September 1 2023.

At 12.52 that day, there was a call from Luke Taylor to Niall Long and another at 1.44pm.

Then Niall Long rang Luke Taylor six times between 2.07pm and 6.25pm and another three calls at 8.44pm, 8.55pm and 9.05pm.

Niall Long’s Google email address was used to pinpoint where the phone was at various times during September 1 2023. Ms Campbell testified that on this basis, he was at St Michael’s Close in Mahon at 8.48pm.

At 9.06pm and again at 9.08pm he was at the junction of Ford Street/Dean Street/St Fin Barre’s Place.

At 9.42pm and again at 9.44pm he was at Courtstown in East Cork.

By 10.12pm he was back at the South Ring Road in Cork city and specifically Jacob’s Island until 10.15pm. He was at St Michael’s Drive in Mahon at 10.20pm and at St Michael’s Close in Mahon at 11.02pm

The trial continues before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford and the ten men and two women of the jury.