Case of man accused of applying for passports in names of deceased babies further adjourned

Randolph Kirk Parker. Picture: Larry Cummins

The lawyer for the 72-year-old American previously known as Philip Morris and later identified through inquiries with the FBI as Randolph Kirk Parker has received an extensive precis of the prosecution evidence and will be discussing it with the accused in the coming days.

The case had been adjourned until Thursday to allow for this to occur.

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said: “I have received an extensive precis of evidence from An Garda Síochána and need to discuss it with Mr Parker.”

The case was adjourned until February 8 for that purpose.

At that stage, the defence can indicate if there will be signed pleas of guilty or if a book of evidence will be required for a trial by judge and jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Detective Garda Padraic Hanley of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation charged the defendant with three new counts last week.

Already facing passport-related charges, he was additionally charged on January 29 with one further charge of providing false information to obtain a passport at the Passport Office, South Mall, Cork, in 2013, possession of a driving licence obtained by using a false name on the date on which he was arrested, and giving a false name to gardaí when he was at the Bridewell Garda Station at the time of his arrest last September.

It is alleged that he had passports in the names of two babies who died within three months of birth in 1952 and 1953.

One charge states that on September 11 this year at the passport office on South Mall, Cork, he provided information or documents which were false or misleading, in connection with a passport application.

There are two similar charges referring to an unknown date between September 12 and 25, 2012, at the Passport Office on South Mall, Cork, and the application for the issue of a passport, and one final, similar charge referring to a different date, June 7 2022.

In total now he faces four passport-related charges, one related to a driving licence and the summary charge of giving gardaí a false name when arrested.

At a previous hearing, Det Garda Hanley said: “We believe we have identified the accused through enquiries with the FBI as Randolph Parker with a date of birth, the seventh of the third, 1951.”