The Clare People Archive

A YOUNG man had his ear bitten in a row on a Street in the early hours of the morning, a court has heard.

John Paul Keane (27), of Scan- lan Park, Castleconnell, Limerick, pleaded guilty to assault, arising out of an incident outside Molly’s bar, Ballina, Killaloe, in the early hours

of the morning in August 2005.

Sergeant Deborah Marsh told En- nis Circuit Court yesterday that the accused and another man, Niall Col- lins, were involved in a row. They were fighting on the ground.

“The accused was on top of the other man. He had the other man’s ear between his teeth and was biting down on it. There was blood gushing

from the ear,” she said.

She said she warned the accused to desist but he “continued with the as- ele

After he was arrested, the accused continued to be violent and lashed Oo) iar limee Heer N

The assault has “left a permanent scar down the centre of the ear’, she Said.

Counsel for the accused, Michael Collins, said that a large number of people were involved in various rows outside the bar.

He said the accused told gardai that he feared he was going to die as he was been kicked.

Judge Carroll Moran adjourned sentencing, to allow the injured par- ty to attend court.

ANTHONY Kelly felt “possessed” When he hit Liam Moloney to the head with an axe, then dragged his body out of the car, before cutting his throat from side to side.

The thought of killing his victim had entered his mind several times and as the two travelled from Ennis to Ruan, a feeling of “rage” came over him and voices told him “do it, elon ia

The trial was told that Mr Kelly

had owed Mr Moloney about €150 at the time.

Mr Moloney’s taxi was seen parked at the entrance to Port House, an un- occupied building, at around 8pm on the evening of February 11, 2005.

According to the prosecution, Mr Kelly opened the gates after he killed Mr Moloney and dragged the body 15 to 20 yards inside.

‘The pockets of the deceased had been turned out,’ said prosecution barrister Tom O’Connell SC.

Less than an hour later, Mr Kelly

entered Mr Moloney’s apartment on Barrack Street, Ennis, where he stole money. He later picked up a 14-year- old boy in Shannon, on arrangement with the boy’s mother, and drove to Waterville.

The following morning, the boy saw the accused throwing clothes he had been wearing the previous evening into a fire in the back garden of his house. That day, he threw the head of a hatchet and other items in the direction of a lake in Kerry.

‘He was purposefully seeking to

cover his tracks and dispose of things which might connect him with the killing,” said Mr O’Connell.

Initially, Mr Kelly denied any knowledge of the killing. He later ad- mitted involvement. He said he had been depressed and angry in the run- up to the incident. “I had been down in my house in Waterville and had nightmares for months,” he said.

He said that Liam Moloney had “pissed” him off and used to ring him, telling him sick jokes.

On the night in question, Mr Kelly

was carrying a knife and a small axe. In Ruan, he got in and out of the taxi a few times and Mr Moloney asked him what he was “up to”.

He reached into his bag and had his hand on the axe. He felt a burn- ing sensation and something said to him, “do it, do it”, and he struck him a number of times to the head.

“| felt like I was possessed. I used a knife to cut his throat and said *F*** You’. It was only when I was driving back to Kerry that there was pain in my heart,” he said.

LIAM Moloney suffered “pretty horrendous” injuries in a “planned and executed killing’, after he was “lured” to the countryside, the trial has heard.

Prosecution Set SKoyee] O’Connell told the jury last Wednes- day that the accused, Ruan native Anthony Kelly (54) with an address at Emlagh na Muck, Emlaghmore, Waterville, Kerry, intended to kill Mr Moloney (56).

Mr Kelly has pleaded not guilty to the murder of the separated father of four, at Portlecka, Ruan, Ennis, on February 11, 2005.

Mr Kelly has admitted unlawfully killing Mr Moloney, but claims he

was suffering from a mental disorder at the time and was of diminished responsibility.

Outlining the prosecution case to the jury, Mr O’Connell said, “I think you can infer from the injuries sus- tained by Liam Moloney that Antho- ny Kelly intended to kill him.”

“There were 17 major blows around the skull area…many fractures to the skull and face and the throat was cut from side to side,’ he said.

‘The motive which he had for kill- ing Mr Moloney was to enrich him- self…to steal money. He went to Mr Moloney’s flat after, but only got €500 to €600,” he said.

‘He (the deceased) was working on the evening of the killing. Anthony Kelly lured him to the place where

he killed him,” said Mr O’Connell. He said Mr Kelly “selected and

sharpened” his weapons in Water-

ville and then brought them to the

scene of the killing.

He said Mr Kelly had arranged to meet Mr Moloney at Considine’s pub in Barefield and Mr Moloney would drive him to Ruan.

After he had killed him, Mr Kelly took Mr Moloney’s cab and drove back to Barefield. He abandoned the cab there and it was found 24 hours Fitoe

He told the jury that Mr Kelly emi- erated to the US around 1970 and re- turned to Ireland in April 2001.

He worked in security in Shannon and moved to Waterville in 2003.

Liam Moloney, from Ennis, worked with Aer Lingus in Shannon after leaving school.

He retired in January 2002 and received a severance package of

€71,000. He then began working as a driver with Ennis Cabs.

Mr O’Connell said that Anthony Kelly told John Butler, a mutual friend, that he was to marry a Swed- ish woman in Stockholm in Decem- ber 2004. He had asked Mr Butler to be his best man and Mr Moloney to be his groomsman. The wedding was later cancelled and it was believed the story had been “fiction”, said Mr O’Connell.

At the outset of the trial, Mr Kelly pleaded guilty to six other charges, including robbing Mr Moloney and taking his car, on the same date. The trial is expected to conclude later WT Lete)

IN THE immediate aftermath of killing Liam Moloney, Anthony Kel- ly went to the victim’s apartment and stole €600, which he called “blood jee) eat aae

He told gardai that something in the back of his mind said, “Do it, do it, do it,’ and he just “struck out” and attacked his victim.

“The thought of hitting or hurting Liam Moloney came to me before that day,” he said.

He had been depressed and para- noid prior to the killing and there had been a build-up of anger inside him, during the week before it.

“For some time I’d felt very, very bad. Stuff was getting into my head. One of the people I was upset with was Liam. We used to talk on the phone. Sometimes he’d piss me off. He’d made racist jokes. I was broke at the time, living on very little,’ he PHO

On the night of the killing, he said a “feeling of rage” came over him.

‘IT had a feeling I never had before. I remember saying to myself, ‘What am I doing?’ When I got out of the car, I more or less tried to stop my- self and I couldn’t. There was a burn- ing sensation throughout my whole body,” he said.

“I felt possessed. I never hit any- one before in my life. It was like fire coming out of my eyes, fire coming

out of my head and I couldn’t stop,” | stemnceeB(Gm

He said his victim didn’t put up any resistance and there was blood “every place”.

He said that looking back, his be- haviour was like that of “some kind of an animal, if an animal would do such a thing .. . I was gone com- pletely wild. I couldn’t believe I’d be capable of something even remotely like that. It was like as if it wasn’t me. It was some creature. I was just totally taken over,” he said.

He later took €600 from a closet in Mr Moloney’s apartment.

“I said to myself ‘blood money’. I remember repeating it a thousand times to myself when I was alone. I was not gloating or anything,” he Sr ALGE

Detective Superintendent John Fit- Zpatrick told the trial that a knife, with an eight-inch blade, had been found in Mr Moloney’s tax1.

He said that two sources told gardai that the accused owed around €150 to the deceased.

The Garda obtained a search war- rant and carried out a search of the accused’s home in Kerry, on Febru- Maes

‘‘He mentioned to us he had a shot- gun in the bedroom. It appeared to me to be a double- barrelled sawn-off shotgun. In fact, it was a single bar- relled sawn-off shotgun,” he said.

He later told gardai he did not have

the gun with him in Ruan, on the night of the killing.

Mr Kelly was arrested for unlawful possession of the gun and was taken to Cahersiveen Garda Station.

“During the journey, he began to speak about the murder of Liam Moloney and the role he played in it. He said he was finding it very dilf- ficult to sleep. He was having night-

mares in relation to what happened,” said the garda.

THE first shots of the general elec- tion were fired in Clare yesterday as candidates faced tough questions from the county’s Traveller commu- nity.

The majority of Clare’s Dail hope- fuls were in St Joseph’s Travellers’ Training Centre yesterday for a ques- tion and answer session organised by local travellers’ groups.

Candidates sparred on the main local issues such as the Ennis General Hos- pital and the Ennis water supply. RTE presenter Rachael English chaired the debate. The discussion covered a broad range of issues affecting Trav- ellers’ lives, including education and training, mental health, accommoda- tion and youth issues.

Afterwards, Julianne McDonagh, a member of the Primary Health Care eroup, said politicians should return for a second meeting after the elec- tion. “It was very valuable to meet the candidates but I think it is just as beneficial if they were to come back after the election to see if anything has changed.”

As expected, the issue of Ennis

General Hospital loomed large in the discussion. “It is vital that every eroup fights against the Hanly re- port. Whoever is elected, we’re going to have to fight together,” said Green Party candidate Brian Meaney

Fine Gael candidate Madeleine Tay- lor Quinn (FG) said she was commit- ted to retaining acute services.

“T will do everything to ensure that a six-bed unit is retained. That is the

minimum the women of Clare are entitled to.”

Joe Carey (FG) said a new hospital should be built instead of upgrading the current facility.

“Not a sod has been turned or a brick laid. If the protection order was removed on the hospital it could be sold. That would help finance the construction of a new building.”

This was strongly opposed by Jun-

ior Minister Tony Killeen (FF).

“I could play that game and go along with the popular sentiment but I have been around long enough to know that isn’t going to happen. I know that the €40 million extension will go ahead next year”.

On the issue of the water supply in Ennis, Labour candidate Pascal Fit- zgerald said nothing had happened after four years.

‘This issue certainly is being treat- ed with urgency by my colleague. We have already put in place the tempo- rary treatment facility,” said Fianna Fail Senator Timmy Dooley.

On providing services for young people, Fine Gael candidate Tony Mulcahy said that a survey carried out in schools in Shannon showed that 70 to 80 per cent favoured a cof- fee shop or a drop-in centre.

“The problem with Ennis is you need six or seven of these facilities,” he said.

THE number of people in the mid west who reported experiencing crime last year decreased from the figure in 2003, newly-published sta- tistics reveal.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office last week show that 4.2 per cent of people in the mid west experienced crime last year, com- pared with 5.8 per cent in 2003.

Of those, 1.2 per cent of people liv- ing in the mid west were victims of theft where violence was used.

1.3 per cent were physically as-

saulted last year, down from 1.6 per cent three years earlier.

Almost two-thirds of people who were victims of theft involving vio- lence last year reported the matter to gardai (62.5 per cent).

This is a huge increase on the fig- ure of 48.8 per cent in 2003, but is a reduction on the figure of 71.4 per cent, in 1998.

The figures also show details of how safe people feel walking alone in their neighbourhoods, after dark. More than 70 per cent of residents in the mid-west, said they felt either safe or very safe. 24 per cent were

unsafe, while almost six per cent of people felt very unsafe.

The figures for last year are similar to those recorded in 2003.

92.8 per cent of those surveyed said they felt safe alone in their homes, after dark. This is a slight increase on the figure for 2003.

52.6 per cent of respondents said they felt crime was a very serious problem. 34.1 per cent said it was a serious problem, while 12.1 per cent said it was a fairly serious issue. Just 1.2 per cent of respondents in the re- gion said it was not a serious prob- aner

THE controversy surrounding the Mary Shannon rape case is poised to prevent other rape victims coming forward, according to the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west.

Ms Shannon waived her right to an- onymity in March, after a three-year suspended term was handed to Ennis man Adam Keane (20), of Barnagee- ha, Darragh, Ennis.

He was found guilty by a 10-2 majority of the jury of raping Mary Shannon (33) at his trial, at the Cen- tral Criminal Court.

Ms Shannon was outraged by the sentence, the leniency of which is be- ing appealed by the Director of Pub-

lic Prosecutions.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office last week showed that there was a huge decrease in the number of sexual offences reported during the first quarter of the year.

Nationally, the number of reported sexual offences dropped by 44.5 per cent, when compared with the same three-month period last year.

The co-ordinator of the Rape Cri- sis Centre in the mid west, Miriam Duffy said the “furore over the statu- tory rape case” last year is bound to have played a role in the huge de- crease.

SY eTomcr COMA OT-LMmy OND CoMmMeCoM\Y EDavane)oretoee non case was not likely to have had an impact on the figures for the first

quarter, it was likely to have an ef- fect on figures for the remainder of this year.

‘There has been a knock-on effect from the statutory rape case,” she Sr AKGe

“What happened with Mary Shan- non’s case…you would want to assess it again in six months,’ added Ms Duffy.

“A lot more training needs to be done with the gardai. We are con- cerned that this is a big reduction in the number of sexual offences re- ported,’ she added.

“There has not been any dramatic fall-off in incidents of rape reported to the Rape Crisis Centre,” she add- ed.

PLANS for a rail-link to Shannon have suffered a major setback with news that the early results of a fea- sibility study on the project are “ex- tremely poor”.

The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen confirmed that “the analy- sis, figures and economic case in the original draft” were not good enough.

He said that “he did not go with it” because of the poor figures.

“A different set of requests and questions were sought and these have gone into the mix. The local author- ity is dealing with it at present. I ex- pect to receive the final report soon and it is hoped that it will be posi- tive,’ he added.

It is understood that the consultants involved in drawing up the feasibility study, MVA Consultants, estimated the cost of the rail-link at €700 mil- |bTeyee

Chairman of the Shannon Rail Partnership, Councillor Sean Hillery (FF), disputed the €700 million cost on the rail-spur yesterday and said that the partnership’s own costing put it at €240 million.

“We accept that a rail-spur to Sixmilebridge is not viable and the approach to take is a direct rail-link between Limerick and Shannon. This is not going to happen this year or next year and will depend on popu- lation increases. A rail-link between

Shannon and Limerick would attract a public-private partnership, whereas a link between Shannon and Sixmi- lebridge would not,” he said. Councillor Hillery added that he hoped the route for the rail-link would be frozen in anticipation of it being built in future years. Meanwhile, in a Dail debate on Shannon Airport, Deputy James Breen (Ind) asked Minister Cullen if he would provide Shannon with debt free status. The estimated debt of Shannon is believed to be around

€100 million.

Minister Cullen stated, “It is not an issue because Shannon does not have a debt. I am not bothered about it.”

Deputy Breen also asked Minister Cullen about the possibility of fur- ther investment in the airport.

“Absolutely. There is no question about it,” said the minister.

INDEPENDENT TD James Breen SEISMW se NW OLecO MO OFLU Slom @cOn/orusbestoIIMAY el suffer if Clare isn’t compensated for the Open Skies aviation deal, which was ratified in the Dail this week.

The Minister for Transport, Mar- tin Cullen, said that the Government would deliver an economic plan for Shannon to support the region.

But Deputy Breen said that Clare was long overdue a pay-off to make up for decades of neglect.

“IT guarantee the minister that if that payback is not announced in the near future, the Government will get its own payback in spades in the forthcoming election.

“The Minister has let Shannon and the mid west down and has sold us down the river.

“Shannon is the one airport for which Open Skies represents a major negative and the minister can only wash his hands of it.

“If he was serious with regard to securing the future of Shannon and the mid west, this fund and other packages would have been put in place before the Open Skies agree- ment was announced.”

He added, “The lack of proper

measures means that the Shannon area can expect a 30 per cent drop in trade. The shortening of the intro- ductory period leading into the start date of the Open Skies agreement confirms the apathy with which this administration views the mid west.

“In the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the agreement, Aer Lingus announced new routes to San Francisco, Orlando and Washington. Significantly, all of those routes will operate from Dublin Airport.

‘There is no doubt that this agree- ment will lead to a cherry-picking of routes by airlines.

‘Much was made of the establish- ment of customs and immigration clearance in Shannon and this was trumpeted as a jewel in the crown of SI erVeveCOye MAURO DKen

‘However, it now transpires that a similar station will operate out of Dublin Airport within a year. This is further proof of the minister’s con- tempt for the mid west.

Speaking on the issue, Pat Breen (FG) said, “The minister had a gold- en opportunity to announce the im- plementation of the tourism and de- velopment plan but failed to do so.

“We’ve had enough photo opportu- nities. We need action.”

TNS MRBI opinion poll which showed a five per cent surge in support for Fine Gael.

The findings also revealed the al- ternative coalition of Fine Gael and Labour to be in a strong position to win the forthcoming election.

According to the poll, Labour and Fine Gael have a combined 41 per cent share of the vote while Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats have a combined share of 37 per

Cone

Mr Kenny said he sensed the coun- try wanted a change and that mo- mentum was now very much with Opposition parties.

“The result of that poll is certainly very encouraging but its only reflec-

tive of other polls published in the last few weeks and they reflect a view of people around the country that they want change, that they are tired of this Government and that momentum is there and we are going to continue to build on that.”

According to Mr Kenny, the poll revealed the strides made by opposi- tion parties and revealed high levels of public dissatisfaction with the cur- rent Government.

However, he was quick to point out that the battles ahead would be

fought on multiple fronts. He admit- ted he was encouraged but that he wouldn’t be getting carried away.

“Well a few months ago you wouldn’t get any bet on the result of that particular poll. The point is that this is an election that takes place over 43 constituencies on any given day that takes into account person- alities, local issues and all of that. So that’s what my focus is on. While the poll itself 1s very encouraging. it’s only part of a trend that’s being reflected by the people which will decide the ultimate poll.”

He also fired a broadside at Taol- seach Bertie Ahern. Reacting to Fine Gael’s strong showing in the polls, Mr Ahern had warned the elector- ate to think twice before entrusting the reins of power to the alternative coalition.

In response Mr Kenny rounded on the Government’s performance over the previous ten years.

“Well, I won’t take lectures from Fianna Fail who have misspent the people’s money over the last ten years. This administrations is one whose hallmark is indecisiveness and incompetence on a vast scale and you can find it through every town and parish in County Clare,” said Mr aah