Prosecution has 'proved beyond reasonable doubt' Mallow murder accused had knife, trial told
Tyler Jackson (pictured) denies the charge of murdering 24-year-old Conor Quinn at Bridge Street, Mallow, in July 2018.
The prosecution told the jury in the Mallow murder trial that it was a tragedy where one man was dead and another was accused of murder and all resulting from “young men’s bravado and bullshit”.
Tyler (Tiggy) Jackson of Ballydaheen West, Mallow, County Cork, denies the charge of murdering 24-year-old Conor Quinn at Bridge Street, Mallow, County Cork, on July 12, 2018.
Prosecution senior counsel, Ray Boland, said in his speech to the eight men and four women of the jury at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork: “Obviously, this case is a tragic case. One young man is dead. One young man is accused of his murder. Over what? We don’t know. But I would comment it was young men’s bravado and bullshit, if I can use that phrase.”
Defence senior counsel Brian McInerney agreed with Boland: “This case is a tragedy. Conor Quinn lost his life in Mallow. And the loss of any human life is a tragedy… The accused is on trial and whatever your verdict it follows him to his grave. It is a very serious matter.
“Mr Boland said he (Tyler Jackson) came back (into Mallow town) for Round two and that he was hunting down Conor Quinn. But the evidence is one way — Conor Quinn was the man who is doing the hunting, he was the one prowling around the streets looking for Tiggy Jackson.”
Mr Boland said: “The defence has had to make the most of Conor Quinn’s behaviour, saying he was intoxicated, aggressive and had taken cocaine. He is entitled to comment on that but there is no evidence in the case that Conor Quinn laid a hand on anyone in those 41 minutes (the period he was in Mallow before his death), not on Tiggy Jackson, not on anyone.”
As for the defence position that Tiggy Jackson never had a knife, Mr Boland said: “I have to suggest there is ample evidence and that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Tiggy Jackson had a knife and stabbed Conor Quinn fatally… The final and incontrovertible evidence that Tyler Jackson had a knife, the final evidence, to put it morbidly, is in Conor Quinn’s chest.”
Regarding the defence suggestion that the deceased somehow stabbed himself during the brief interaction with Mr Jackson, Mr Boland said: “If Conor Quinn had a knife in his hand and in a collision (with the accused) somehow stabbed himself I would suggest it is a very unnatural movement. And how did he get a defensive wound on his right forearm? The evidence of Christina Kearney after this altercation is that Tiggy Jackson had a knife when leaving the scene.
“Although Conor Quinn was aggressive and threatening things, the evidence is that he did not land a hand on anyone… I say it is murder all day long and the behaviour of Conor Quinn does not excuse it… I suggest Tiggy Jackson was in complete control when he stuck a knife into the chest of Conor Quinn which unfortunately caused his death.
“This is not someone who lost control. He is coming back to town to confront Conor Quinn who humiliated him (by chasing him away earlier)… Tiggy Jackson returned for Round two, this time armed with a knife. I suggest to you that that is murder. Provocation does not come into it..”
Defence senior counsel Mr McInerney said the deceased, Conor Quinn, had something to drink in Buttevant and by the time he arrived in Mallow he said the alcohol was also “fuelled up on Prozac and fuelled up on cocaine and fuelled up with an animal dose (with which the cocaine was likely to have been mixed) which is toxic to humans.
“He tries ringing his heavily pregnant girlfriend who is due days later. For whatever reason he cannot get through. She may be on her way to the maternity hospital. So what does Conor Quinn do? He says, come on lads, we’ll go to Mallow. That is the man we are dealing with in Mallow.
“By pure chance he sees Tyler Jackson. He gets out of the car. He chases Tyler Jackson. He gets out of the car. He chases after him. And he is not chasing after him to ask if he was at Cahirmee horse fair that day. Does Tyler Jackson stand up and confront him? No. He ran away. He fled conflict. He avoided confrontation,” Mr McInerney said.
He then reminded the jury of the deceased meeting with evangelists in the park, where he had some black object in his hand.
“The prosecution suggests Tyler Jackson should have gone away and climbed up a tree and stayed for two days until Conor Quinn had gone home. He (the accused) was entitled to walk the streets, free of attack. Conor Quinn spots him. Again he jumps out of the car and chases after him… None of the individuals sees a knife in the hand of Tyler Jackson in that incident,” the defence senior counsel said.
Mr McInerney reminds the jury of evidence from one witness who said Mr Jackson “did not seem to have two seconds to defend himself”.
Both the prosecution and the defence referred in their speeches to the evidence of one young witness Christina Kearney whose statement to the gardaí was read to the jury during the trial. She was quoted as saying: “I saw Tiggy sprinting against us. Another lady said, ‘what was he in such a hurry for?’ When I saw Tiggy running I saw a knife in his hand — in his left hand. A kitchen knife,” the statement said.
The statement went on to say: “When I saw Tiggy with the knife it was seven or eight inches long. He was holding it with the handle in his hand and the blade facing back.” Mr McInerney repeated to the jury in his closing speech that people the witness’s age did not speak in terms of inches and they would talk in terms of metric measures like metres and kilos and so forth.
Judge Eileen Creedon addressed the jury on the law that they had to consider when deliberating on the evidence. They will continue their deliberations on Wednesday.
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