Garda found arms of dismembered body 'placed' over a branch, Cork murder trial told

The trial also heard that a search for a missing cat named ‘Mouse’ led to the discovery of the dismembered body

Frankie Dunne (pictured) is believed to have been murdered on a date unknown between December 27 and December 28, 2019. File picture

The arms of a dismembered body were found draped over the branch of a tree, the head was found nearby in a black refuse bag and the body itself was found under the tree at the derelict property on Boreenmanna Road, a murder trial has heard.

That was the evidence from crime scene examiner, Garda Stephen Dennehy, at the murder trial taking place at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

“We found the two arms… They were draped over a branch, not thrown randomly. It looked like they were placed there. We found the head in a bag. We found clothes in another bag,” Garda Dennehy said.

Prosecution senior counsel, Ray Boland, asked the witness: “Can you describe the bag with the head?” Garda Dennehy said: “It was extremely bloody. The wounds would have been fresh. They looked recent.” Garda Dennehy went to the crime scene at Castlegreine House a number of times between December 28 and 31, 2019, to examine the scene.

Two men walking past Castlegreine House – known locally as ‘the castle’ – at around 8.20pm on Friday, December 27, 2019 – gave evidence of what they heard.

Donal Keane said he was alerted to sounds from the property because he knew it was derelict. “About 20 yards short of the property – 20 to 30 yards – we heard a loud crack sound, like a firecracker and then there was silence after that… I knew it was derelict, I was quite surprised that night, I knew there was somebody in there.” 

Mr Keane’s friend, Kevin Goggin, said: “As I was outside I heard voices at Castlegreine House there was a big, loud noise, a crunching sound like a heavy glass bottle being smashed against concrete. It was a very loud crunch. I went to the gate but did not go in.” 

Mr Keane and Mr Goggin later approached gardaí to make statements about what they heard when they noticed garda activity around the property the following day. 

Discovery of body

Gardaí were first alerted to the dismembered body in the garden when a neighbour went searching for a missing cat named ‘Mouse’ early on the Saturday afternoon of December 28, 2019.

Joseph Pierce told the jury in the trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork on Tuesday that he was working on December 28, 2019, when he got a phone call from his partner to come home. Their elderly cat was missing, having been at the vet the previous day, and they were concerned about the pet. After checking in the gardens of some neighbours, Mr Pierce eventually went to the back garden of Castlegreine House on Boreenmanna Road.

Joseph Pierce testified, “I shone a torch on the phone – I shone it under the bush. The first thing I saw was a set of feet. I followed that up with the torch wondering what I was seeing. It was obviously the shape of a body. At that point I was disbelieving what I saw. I was rationalising it – thinking it was a mannequin or something like that. I could see male genitalia.” 

Mr Pierce went back to his neighbour Brendan Kerrigan. Gardaí were contacted and the two men waited for gardaí to arrive. Asked if there had been difficulty with people going in and out of Castlegreine House next door to him, Mr Kerrigan said: “Not particularly. I have seen lights going on and off when they were working. It never infringed on my privacy.” 

Detective Garda Brian Barron and Garda Michael Costello responded to the call, arriving at the scene at around 4.10pm that day. Det. Garda Barron said Mr Pierce was visibly shaken and said that what he had found might have been a mannequin or holy statue and that he might have overreacted.

Directed to the area under a bush at the rear of the house, Det. Garda Barron said: “I went over to the bush and started looking under it. 

I could see a body under the bush. It was a male - no clothes on, except for socks. The head was gone. The left arm was gone. I could not see the right arm. 

"All the clothes were gone, bar the socks. At that stage we retreated. I remained at the side of the house to preserve the scene.” 

The trial continues this afternoon. A jury of eight women and four men was sworn in on March 13 for the trial before Mr Justice Paul McDermott of a Romanian national accused of murdering a 64-year-old man whose dismembered body was found on the grounds of the derelict house at Boreenmanna Road in Cork during Christmas 2019.

Ionut Cosmin Nicholescu, 30, with an address at Branistea Village, Damovita County, Romania, pleaded not guilty to the single count of murder. The defendant was put on trial charged with the murder of Francis (Frankie) Dunne. The count states that on a date unknown between December 27 and December 28, 2019, he murdered Francis Dunne at Castlegreine House, Boreenamanna Road, Cork, contrary to Common Law.