Tipperary farmer Patrick Quirke will not be given a re-trial for the murder of Bobby ‘Mr. Moonlight’ Ryan.
In March, the court ruled a warrant to search Quirke’s computer was unlawful as the District Court Judge had not been told about it when the warrant was sought.
The evidence presented to the jury during, what was at the time the longest case in the history of the state, showed searches on the device on the rate of decomposition of human remains in water.
Today a seven judge panel at the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the application for a retrial meaning Quirke will continue to serve his life sentence for the murder.
The court ruled that a failure to specify the potential seizure and analysis of the computer was a mistake due to “honest inadvertence”.
Justice Peter Charleton said it would offend any sense of logic to suggest the seizure was a deliberate and conscious violation of constitutional rights.
