Action against State to run until at least end of January

Ian Bailey’s action against the State will run to at least the end of January, the High Court heard.

Under cross-examination by Paul O’Higgins, Marie Farrell denied his suggestion gardaí had not given her a video tape featuring Mr Bailey reciting poetry at the Christmas Day swim in Schull for her to watch, to see if she recognised anyone as the man she saw at 2am near Schull on December 23, 1996.

“There was definitely a tape.”

She agreed she twice rang gardaí on a confidential line under the name Fiona from phone boxes to tell them about seeing the man at 2am. She said she wanted to be anonymous as her husband did not known she was out that night with a male friend.

She agreed she made a third call as Fiona from her home near Schull in West Cork but disagreed she must have known that would be traced. Her number was ex-directory. The “last thing I wanted was to be out in the public, I wanted my nice quiet family life”, she said. “Do you think I wanted to be thrown into this?”

She agreed there were similarities between an account of her movements on December 22/23, 1996, set out in various statements and memos of 1997, and her statement made to the McAndrew inquiry in 2006. She agreed the 1997 statements, the 2006 statements, and a 2012 statement referred to her parking her car in Goleen.

Her memory now is she parked in Schull and went in her friend’s car towards Goleen, she said. She said she had not made certain statements dated February 1997 with her signature on them, but had signed blank statements in Ballydehob Garda Station on February 14, 1997.

When counsel put to Ms Farrell she never before, until this case, suggested the long black coat worn by the man she saw outside her shop on December 21, and on December 23, had silver buttons, she disagreed she never before said that.

Counsel said that the long black coat was the “iconic” thing about this case. When gardaí referred to Mr Bailey as “the long black bollocks”, it was his “colouring” they were referring to, not his coat, she said. She first learned of clothing being taken from Mr Bailey when he told her in June 1997.

The case continues.