Gardaí give evidence in Kilkenny murder trial

A number of gardaí have given evidence today to the Central Criminal Court in the trial of an 18-year-old Kilkenny man, accused of murdering his friend’s mother.

Mother-of-two Christine Quinn, aged 36, was found dead by her older son in her Kilkenny home two years ago.

Mark Costigan, with an address in Aylesbury, Kilkenny, has pleaded not guilty to the murder on December 5, 2002 at a house on Greenfields Road in the city.

Today, Detective Garda Brian Murphy, who was an exhibits officer in the case, described the scene outside the Quinn home on the evening of the killing.

He told the court that on inspection of the house, he saw "there had been a fire in the sitting-room near the couch, another under the stairs and another in the kitchen".

The detective also saw a "half-burnt cushion" on the kitchen floor.

"Also, there was a knife on the kitchen floor," which he put into evidence, he added.

He returned to search the house the following day with a number of other gardaí.

Det. Murphy said: "I took possession of a black, leather wallet from an upstairs bedroom."

"In the wallet," he said, "there were a number of cards belonging to Paul Byrne and €150 in cash".

In another search of the house, Detective Murphy found three credit union books on the floor of the front sitting room.

He told the court: "They were in the names of Ronan Quinn, Jason Quinn and Christine Quinn."

Alongside the books was a partially burnt wallet containing €7.80 in coins and cards belonging to Christine Quinn.

Yesterday, Jason Quinn an army private, told the court how he found his mother dead in her smoke-filled kitchen, on his return from his barracks at 4.45pm that afternoon.

She had been stabbed 35 times and the blade of a knife had been left in her scalp.

Mr Quinn dragged his mother out onto the front lawn where he attempted in vain to resuscitate her.

The trial continues this afternoon before a jury of six men and six women and Mr Justice Michael Peart.