Mary ‘had a couldn’t care less’ attitude’ when her boyfriend vanished
Murder accused’s garda interviews ON TRIAL
A FARMER accused of murdering his love rival told gardai the girlfriend of the deceased had a “couldn’t care less” attitude when he went missing.
Patrick Quirke is on trial at the Central Criminal Court over the killing of Bobby Ryan, a part-time DJ known as Mr Moonlight, between June 3, 2011, and April 2013.
The jury yesterday heard evidence relating to interviews the 50-year-old defendant gave to gardai following the discovery of Mr Ryan’s remains.
His body was found in a run-off tank on a farm leased by the accused and owned by Mary Lowry – then girlfriend of the deceased – at Fawnagown, Co Tipperary.
The prosecution claim Quirke murdered Mr Ryan so he could get back with Ms Lowry, 52, with whom he had previously had an affair.
On April 30, 2013, gardai were alerted by Quirke’s wife Imelda to the presence of a body in a tank on Ms Lowry’s farm.
Insp David Buckley told prosecutor Michael Bowman he met Quirke at the scene and asked him to accompany him to Tipperary Garda station to make a cautioned voluntary statement.
He agreed to go and did not want to speak to a solicitor.
SHOCKED
Quirke, from Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, detailed how he found the 52-year-old’s body.
He said he was trying to empty a tank and needed more water as the slurry was too thick.
Quirke added an open tank he would usually draw water from was empty, but he knew water had been leaking into the underground tank beside the milking parlour.
He said he had not opened it since 2008, but knew it was there because the farm’s previous owner Martin Lowry told him about it.
Covering the tank were two concrete slabs so he prised one aside using a shovel and put a suction pipe through the gap to draw whatever water was there.
As it was being sucked up he noticed what he thought was a plastic dummy or an inflatable doll inside.
He turned off the pump and pulled off the second slab. Quirke added: “I
Bobby Ryan, 52 could see clearly it was a body.” He told gardai he could see the pelvis and “what seemed to be the private area even though it looked to be face down”. He said it was “confusing” and he was “shocked”. He phoned his wife who arrived, confirmed it was a body and called her friend Garda Tom Neville. On the day Mr Ryan disappeared, Quirke said he was on the farm at about 8.40am to let two bulls in with his cows. He was going away for the weekend with his family and left a short time later. He didn’t see anyone at Co Tipperary farm in April 2013 the tank. Quirke added he did not meet Mr Ryan on the morning of his disappearance and when Gda Buckley asked him if he knew the body was in the tank all along, he replied: “No. These are nice questions now lads.”
Quirke said the only things he knew about Mr Ryan’s disappearance were what Ms Lowry told him.
He asked her how she found Mr Ryan’s van so quickly in the car park leading into Kilshane Woods.
Quirke wondered about how she saw the vehicle as it would not have been visible from the road. He said he found it “strange” and “intriguing”.
He added Ms Lowry had a “couldn’t care less attitude about it”.
Quirke said: “I asked questions and like everyone else I had a hunch what happened. Everyone had notions he was attacked. Did he leave for Spain? I asked questions and I thought the answers strange and I read too much into it.”
The trial continues in front Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury.
IN GARDA INTERVIEW
I had a hunch. Everyone had notions he was attacked PATRICK QUIRKE
of