Closing speeches in Quirke murder trial to conclude

Photo: © pixabay

Patrick Quirke’s barrister has criticised the Garda’s handling of the case and has urged the jury to be even more “sceptical” when reviewing the evidence.

He’s addressing the jurors for a final time in the trial of the farmer from Breanshamore, Co. Tipperary who denies murdering his love rival.

Yesterday, defence barrister Bernard Condon accused Mary Lowry of telling lies and he decalared her description of his client on the day Bobby Ryan went missing as “a piece of the most devious poison that has ever been delivered across the face of the Central Criminal Court in a many a year.

She said her ex-lover Patrick Quirke looked “hot, sweaty and bothered” when she met him on the farm two hours after she last saw her boyfriend Bobby.

Today, Mr. Condon focused his attention on other elements of the prosecution’s case, in particular the Garda investigation, which he claims wasn’t good enough.

He referred to record-keeping and their use of an engineer who had no experience in criminal cases. He also criticised the procedure used to remove the body from the pit where he was found by Mr. Quirke. He said the Garda sub-aqua unit should have been used and a pathologist should have been present.

He said surely if you’re on trial, you’d want the best investigation done.