Two men accused of murdering Kieran Quilligan replied 'no comment' when allegations were put to them, court hears

Allegations were put to the two men accused of murdering Kieran Quilligan that the deceased was beaten in a laneway and taken away in the boot of a car and both men replied, “No comment”, a judge and jury was told today.

Detective Sergeant Niall Hayes interviewed Niall Long and Detective Sergeant Brian Maher interviewed Luke Taylor and both men replied, “No comment” when central parts of the prosecution case were put to them at interview.

The interviews were of a particular kind whereby the defendants were informed inferences could be drawn at trial from a failure to answer questions in these garda interviews.

It was put to them that the blood of the deceased man Kieran Quilligan was recovered in the boot of the Toyota Rav 4 on September 15 2023 and that it was the belief of gardaí that Mr Quilligan was placed in this boot while bleeding and transported to a laneway at Cogan’s farm, Little Island, on September 1 2023.

The prosecution view was also expressed that they were present at St. Fin Barre’s Place between 9.12 p.m. and 9.16 p.m. on September 1 2023 and that this was the location where Mr Quilligan was subjected to a brutal assault and placed in the boot of the Toyota Rav 4, taken to the laneway at Cogan’s farm and then taken out of the boot.

It was put to the two defendants that after 3 a.m. on September 4 2023 the remains of Kieran Quilligan were removed from that location and taken to Whitewell, Rostellan, and placed in a wooded area where the remains were ultimately discovered.

Both Niall Long and Luke Taylor replied “No comment” to these allegations, having been advised that inferences could be drawn from any failure to comment.

In addition, Niall Long made no comment to evidence that blood of Kieran Quilligan was found on a brush and on a tag of part of a t-shirt in a white bucket seized by gardaí outside Mr Long’s home in Mahon.

PHONES

Communications between phones belonging to parties in the murder trial were outlined to the jury today in respect of the day Kieran Quilligan disappeared, by Rhona Campbell of the Garda Síochána Analysis Service.

28-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 10.04 a.m. and 11.18 a.m. on September 1 2023.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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