90 – Beyond Reasonable Doubt: The murder of Siobhan McLoughlin

On 28th February 2006, Siobhan McLoughlin was found dead in locked bedroom. At first glance, it looked as if she had tragically taken her own life. But within hours after her death, police and the McLoughlin family felt sure that she had been brutally murdered.

But would the State be able to prove guilt, beyond a reasonable doubt?

Resources:

Ireland & UK Samaritans: Call 116 123 or text 50808

Women’s Aid IE: Call 1800 341 900

Refuge UK: 0808 2000 247

USA National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255

Canada Suicide Prevention Service: Call 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645

Australia Lifeline: 13 11 14

New Zealand Need To Talk?: Call or text on 1737


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Additional Music:   Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


Sources:

Mick McCaffrey, Cormac Looney and Charlie Mallon, “Housewife strangled” in The Evening Herald (2 March 2006) p. 1.

“Young mother strangled with vacuum cleaner flex” in The Irish Independent (3 March 2006) p. 1

Tom Brady, “Shock at mum’s violent death” in The Irish Independent (3 March 2006) p. 4.

Edel Kennedy, “The first we heard of it was when the media arrived” in The Irish Independent (3 March 2006) p. 4.

Edel Kennedy, “Family lived out their dream on a sun-blessed Mediterranean island” in The Irish Independent (3 March 2006) p. 4.

Cormac Looney, “Millionaire mum slain in money row” in The Evening Herald (3 March 2006) pp 1, 4.

Isabel Hurley and Jane Last, “Brave sister Brighid now faces new agony” in The Evening Herald (3 March 2006) p. 4.

Tom Brady, “Murder linked to recent row” in The Irish Independent (4 March 2006) p. 7.

Jim Cusack “Two-day news ban on mother’s murder” in The Sunday Independent (5 March 2006) p. 2.

Paul Williams, “Husband quizzed by cops in hunt for Siobhan’s killer” in The Sunday World (5 March 2006) p. 5

Michael Lavery, “Hotelier enrolled her son in Spanish school” in The Evening Herald (7 March 2006) p, 12.

Cormac Looney, “Siobhan suspect may get off with it” in The Evening Herald (7 March 2006) p. 12.

Fionnuala O’Leary, “Gardai tracing man seen near Siobhan’s home” in The Evening Herald (9 March 2006) p. 8.

Anne-Marie Walsh, “Gardai close in on Siobhan’s murderer” in The Irish Independent (10 March 2006) p. 6.

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Alan O’Keefe, “Raindrops and tears as family bid farewell to tragic Siobhan” in The Sunday Independent (12 March 2006) p. 1-2.

Niamh O’Connor, “Family is divided by grief” in The Sunday World (12 March 2006) p. 4

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Conor Feehan, “Remembering Siobhan” in The Evening Herald (11 December 2006) p. 9

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Ali Bracken and Tom Brady, “Release us from this hell” in The Irish Independent (17 January 2007) p. 8.

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Allison Bray, “Siobhan’s family renew plea to track down killer” in The Irish Independent (1 March 2007) p. 25.

Cormac Looney, “Siobhan murder: husband charged” in The Evening Herald (30 May 2007) p. 1, 5.

Edel Kennedy, “A living nightmare for family of ‘adorable daughter and sister’” in The Irish Independent (31 May 2007) p. 5.

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Cormac Looney and Charlie Mallon, “Siobhan’s husband gets bail” in The Evening Herald (6 June 2007) p. 1, 4

Charlie Mallon, “Husband accused of Siobhan murder out on bail” in The Irish Independent (7 June 2007) p. 7.

Elaine McDonald, “Man accused of killing his wife returns for trial” in The Irish Independent (23 June 2007) p. 22.

Cormac Looney, “Date for trial of husband accused of wife’s murder” in The Evening Herald (20 November 2007) p. 6.

Alan O’Keefe and Andrew Phelan, “Siobhan murder trial opens” in The Evening Herald (11 February 2008) p. 1, 3.

Claire Coughlan, “Standing room only, even for the accused” in The Evening Herald (11 February 2008) p. 3.

Alan O’Keefe, Clodagh Sheehy and Andrew Phelan, “Siobhan murder trial delay” in The Evening Herald (13 February 2008) p.p. 1, 4.

Nicola Boyes and Nicola Anderson, “Family under more strain after delay in Kearney case” in The Irish Independent (14 February 2008) p. 6.

“Siobhan’s family back in court” in The Evening Herald (18 February 2008) p. 9

Abigail Reiley, “Husband strangled wife, then staged suicide scene” in The Irish Independent (19 February 2008) p. 1, 4.

Abigail Reiley, “Mum insists Siobhan wasn’t suicidal after ‘breakdown’” in The Irish Independent (19 February 2008) p. 4.

Abigail Reiley, “The door was locked and her three year old boy was wandering the house alone” in The Irish Independent (19 February 2008) p. 4.

Andrew Phelan and Michael Lavery, “Siobhan looked for pills” in The Evening Herald (19 February 2008) p. 1, 4.

“My friend would never take her own life” in The Irish Independent (19 February 2008) p. 4.

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Claire Coughlan, “Letters hint at urgent desire for separation” in The Evening Herald (20 February 2008) p. 5.

Paul Melia, “Siobhan ‘sought separation advice’” in The Irish Independent (20 February 2008) p. 1

Paul Melia, “Siobhan sought a way out of marriage on day before death” in The Irish Independent(20 February 2008) p. 7.

Paul Melia, “Victim ‘looked for tablets’ on the night before she died” in The Irish Independent (20 February 2008) p. 7

Nicola Anderson, “An inadvertent glimpse of death and pain surges again” in The Irish Independent (20 February 2008) p. 7.

Andrew Phelan and Michael Lavery, “Kearney sent separation letter four days before Siobhan was found dead” in The Evening Herald (20 February 2008) p. 1, 4.

“Separation advice was sought day before death” in The Irish Times (20 February 2008) p. 4.

Paul Melia, “Husband found Siobhan’s door locked day she died” in The Irish Independent (21 February 2008) p. 1, 4.

Nicola Anderson, “A father’s tears as daughter’s life unfolds” in The Irish Independent (21 February 2008) p. 4.

Paul Melia, “Wife sought separation days before her death” in The Irish Independent (21 February 2008) p. 4.

Andrew Phelan, “Gardai told that Brian found wife’s killing ‘hard to accept’” in The Evening Herald (21 February 2008) p. 12.

Paul Melia and Nicola Anderson, “Kearney trial delayed as pregnant juror is taken ill” in The Irish Independent (22 February 2008) p. 5.

Andrew Phelan and Cormac Murphy, “Flex couldn’t have held Siobhan: expert” in The Evening Herald (22 February 2008) p 1, 3.

Paul Melia, “Siobhan ‘could have been assaulted while in bed’” in The Irish Independent (23 February 2008) p. 1, 6.

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Nicola Anderson, “It’s cold and forensic as experts weigh up a mothers tragic end” in The Irish Independent (23 February 2008) p. 7.

Andrew Phelan, “Mum may have been choked while still in bed” in The Evening Herald (23 February 2008) p. 8.

Breda Heffernan, “Husband’s clothes cleaned on same day body found” in The Irish Independent (26 February 2008) p. 10.

Andrew Phelan, “Husband’s DNA not found on flex, court told” in The Evening Herald (26 February 2008) p. 12.

Andrew Phelan, “Email speaks lovingly of ‘football-mad’ son and excitement at visit” in The Evening Herald (27 February 2008) p. 12.

Clare Coughlan, “’Say a prayer for me’ – poignant message to family member” in The Evening Herald (27 February 2008) p. 12.

Paul Melia, “Husband’s DNA not on vacuum flex wrapped around body” in The Irish Independent (27 February 2008) p. 6.

Paul Melia, “Siobhan’s diary, passport and €500 hidden in couple’s home” in The Irish Independent (29 February 2008) p. 15.

Nicola Anderson, “Birthday kisses for the €4.6m man on wife’s tragic anniversary” in The Irish Independent (29 February 2008) p. 15.

“Judge warns Kearney jury not to draw any early conclusions” in The Irish Times (29 February 2008) p. 4.

Andrew Phelan, “Split ‘didn’t suit’ Siobhan husband” in The Evening Herald (3 March 2008) p. 1, 6.

Louise Hogan, “Accused will not take stand” in The Irish Independent (4 March 2008) p. 7.

Nicola Anderson, “Strain takes its toll as decision looms” in The Irish Independent (4 March 2008) p. 7.“Kearney jury to resume deliberations today” in The Irish Times (5 March 2008) p. 4.

Ruadhan Mac Cormaic, “Kearney gets mandatory life sentence for murder of his wife” in The Irish Times (6 March 2008) p. 1.

“Family’s statement delivered by Siobhan’s sister Aisling outside the Four Courts” in The Evening Herald (6 March 2008) p. 3.

Nicola Anderson, “Justice for our Siobhan” in The Irish Independent (6 March 2008) p. 1, 9.

Dearbhail McDonald, “A low tolerance for coincidence saw justice being done” in The Irish Independent (6 March 2008) p. 9.

Paul Melia, “Defence lawyers wanted media blackout” in The Irish Independent (6 March 2008) p. 10

Louise Hogan, “Our lives have been utterly destroyed by this savagery” in The Irish Independent (6 March 2008) p. 8.

Michael Lavery, “Kearney appeal ‘unsafe’ verdict of wife murder” in The Evening Herald (28 July 2009) p. 4.

Aoife Finneran, “Slain Siobhan’s family face to face with former in-law as case opens” in The Evening Herald (28 July 2009) p. 4.

Aoife Finneran, “’Back in your cage’ – family vent fury at Siobhan’s killer” in The Evening Herald (29 July 2009) p. 13.

Michael Lavery, “Killer Kearney’s claim that mystery intruder murdered Siobhan was ‘off the scale’” in The Evening Herald (9 October 2009) p. 6.

“Wife killer Brian Kearney refused permission to appeal murder conviction” in The Irish Independent https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/wife-killer-brian-kearney-refused-permission-to-appeal-murder-conviction-26812851.html (19 January 2012)

Vivienne Clarke, “Brian Kearney ‘is 52 kilo of absolute evil’ says sister of Siobhan as killer is considered for visits to his family” in The Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30927692.html (30 May 2019)