SHRIEKS IN COURT 13 AS IMAGE OF REMAINS DISPLAYED BY MISTAKE
AGASP escaped Michelle Ryan’s lips as she lunged towards the end of the pew. As she raced to the door, with her mother Mary scurrying behind, the volume of her emotional outburst grew. The sound only faded as the heavy door to courtroom No.13 slowly closed behind her.
There was one final shriek as it clanged shut, silencing her cries completely.
Seconds before, the source of her upset, two graphic photos of her father’s remains in an underground tank, had been inadvertently displayed on court screens by the defence. It was a momentary but as the images flashed around the court, a visibly distraught Michelle Ryan bolted.
Lorcan Staines, SC for the defence, was still on his feet, midsentence, as the commotion attracted the attention of the jury. He had started his cross-examination of Garda John Kavanagh, who had taken pictures of the crime scene in 2013, when the cause of Ms Ryan’s upset unfurled.
‘Mr Doocey is going to put some photos on the screen,’ Mr Staines told the court.
As Mr Kavanagh’s pictures were beamed on to court screens, several mundane scenes from the Lowry farm came into focus. There were pictures of the Lowry home, several sheds in the yard, photos of a tractor and close-ups of the tank.
Although Mr Kavanagh had taken seven pictures of the body inside the tank, these would not be shown in open court, said Mr Staines. He directed his colleague to upload the first picture that was taken after those showing the remains. It was at this point two pictures of Mr Ryan’s decomposing remains appeared.
After Michelle Ryan left, a victim-support officer entered the court and approached her brother Bobby, whispering into his ear. Seconds later, he too was gone.
The activity in the row of seats reserved for family members had once again attracted the gaze of the jurors, who were watching on.
A short distance away, in the accused bench, Patrick Quirke had turned towards the witness, with his side profile facing the jury. As the activity in the public gallery eased, he reached for a cup of water and took a sip.
Earlier, his gaze had followed an item inside a clear plastic bag as it moved past him and into the hands of the witness.
It was being carried by exhibits officer Garda Kieran Keane and as he held it aloft, gripping it along the seal at the top, the navy-blue emblem of An Garda Síochána, printed across the plastic, was in full view.
Just underneath it, nestled along the bottom due to its weight, lay a chunky gold watch with a cream face. The item, later labelled exhibit 29, was one of several samples given to Detective Garda Sharon Langan by the pathologist who carried out the postmortem on Bobby Ryan’s remains.
As it was passed to Mr Staines, who prodded and examined the watch through the sealed bag, Patrick Quirke looked on, biting the corner of his bottom lip.
Detective Garda Langan was on the stand, detailing her involvement in the investigation into Mr Ryan’s murder. She was part of a team from the Garda National Crime Scene Unit who attended the farm on the day Mr Ryan’s body was found.
The body was removed from the tank and wrapped before being placed in a body bag, she told the court.
She recalled seeing a crack on one of the slabs that was in position on the roof of the tank.
‘A crack?’ asked Mr Staines, picking up on the issue.
Detective Garda Langan was looking at a picture of a digger removing the slab, gesturing with her hands to show how the slab was removed.
WHEN I see the crack I can remember that the digger was pulling the slab and there was a crack,’ she said, referring to the picture. She hadn’t written about the crack in her notes, she said, and it was not mentioned in her statement either.
From her memory, asked Mr Staines, was the breaking of the concrete slab ‘not a significant event?’
‘No,’ replied the witness, reaching under the back of her hair and flouncing it into place.
Patrick Quirke was watching on intently from the sidelines.
As the exchange over the slab continued, he caressed his hands over the long deep ridges in his forehead, his gaze was focused on the witness.
The trial continues.