Category: Intimate Partner Violence

46 – Tipperary Love Triangle: Patrick Quirke & the murder of Mr Moonlight (Part One)

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn affair, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, love triangle, murder for profit

Bobby Ryan was a well known and well loved figure in Tipperary. He was a local DJ, known as Mr moonlight, in addition to his work in the local quarry. He was divorced, with two grown up children and in 2011, he was dating a local widow – Mary Lowry.

On the 3rd of June of that year, Bobby Ryan went missing. 8 years later, it was spark the longest-running criminal trial in the history of the state.

But how did we get here?

Part One of this two part series on the recent trial and media spectacle dubbed the “Tipperary Love Rival Trial” delves into the background of Patrick Quirke, Mary Lowry and Bobby Ryan. The events leading to Mr Ryan’s disappearance, death, and his ultimate discovery in a run off tank on nearby farmlands are detailed in depth.

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44 – Missing & Murdered: Operation Trace

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, murder, sex crimes, unsolved

Women have been disappearing from, or ending up found dead in, the Wicklow Mountains for over 30 years. In this bonus episode we look at a man that is suspected to have committed some of these abductions and murders,  look back on a number of unsolved rape and murder cases in the 80’s, and bring the story right up-to-date with that latest unfortunate woman to have been killed and dumped in what is called “the vanishing triangle”.

So, what the heck is going on in the Wicklow Mountains?

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42 – Danger at Home: The Killing of Celine Cawley

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, IRA/Paramilitary links

Celine Cawley was a model, a former bond girl, an advertising producer and a successful business owner.

But in December of 2008, she was attacked in her own home and died of her injuries. Her husband, Eamonn Lillis, said that there had been an intruder in their exclusive Howth home, but was he telling the truth?

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36 – Holly & Jessica: The Soham Murders

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Kidnapping, Mental Health, murder, Public Inquiry, sex crimes, UK Crime

In 2002, two ten year old girls – Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman – went missing in the quiet and idyllic English town of Soham. It quickly became apparent that the girls had not simply wandered off. What followed was two week search for them, and the revelation that a terrible crime had taken place.

The shocking truth was that the girls had been murdered by a member of their community, someone they knew. And someone they trusted.

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35 – The murder of Jill Meagher & serial sex crimes of Adrian Bayley

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Australian Crime, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Human Rights, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, Kidnapping, Landmark Case, Mental Health, murder, Public Inquiry, sadism

On Friday the 22nd September 2012, Jill Meagher left work after a long week and went out for a night on the town in her adopted home of Melbourne, Australia. She spent the evening in a number of bars and pubs with work friends.

But that night, there was a predator out on the streets too. One who had spent nearly a decade in prison for violent assaults and rape, and was still on parole and bail. Because of him, Jill would never make it home that night.

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30 – Sharon Collins: Lying Eyes, Hitman4Hire, & attempted murder

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Black Widow, Controversial Case, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, Mental Health, murder, Women Who Kill

In 2006, Sharon Collins decided that what she had wasn’t enough. She was a divorced mother of two, living with a long term partner, PJ Howard, who also had two sons. He also owned a multi-million euro property business, which he wanted to pass to his sons. So much so that he wouldn’t marry Sharon in order to ensure this. But despite the lavish lifestyle Sharon lived – nice houses, a penthouse apartment in Spain, a boat, basically anything she wanted – Sharon wanted more.

So, she got on her computer and between searches for weight loss and diet tips, she looked for a hitman. And she found one. 

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28 – Murder on Ireland’s Eye

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Capital Punishment, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, murder, Vintage murder, Wrongly Accused

In 1852, Sarah Maria Louisa Kirwan was found dead at the Long Hole on Ireland’s Eye as the tide receded. Her husband, William, had been painting a sunset scene of the Dublin Mountains and told the boatmen who returned to get them from the craggy island in Dublin Bay that he had no idea what had happened to her. An inquest found that the poor woman had drowned.

But in Victorian Dublin, rumours spread quickly, and it was discovered William Burke Kirwan was living a double life – one that provided a motive for murder.

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26 – Fiona Donnison & Mothers who Murder

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Child Victim, Controversial Case, Domestic Violence, Insanity Defence, Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, murder, UK Crime, Women Who Kill

On the morning of Wednesday, 27th January 2010, 45 year old mother of four Fiona Donnison walked into a police station in Heathfield, East Sussex. She was distressed, had what appeared to be self inflicted wounds and was making little sense. But then, she shocked police by telling them that she had killed her two small children, Harry (3) and Elise (2).

They were found soon after in the boot of her car, parked around the corner from the home that she had once shared with her children and her ex-partner, Paul.

In this episode, we tell the story of Fiona Donnison, and explore the reasons why some mothers turn murderous. What was Fiona’s excuse?

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22 – The horrific murder of Sylvia Fleming

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, IRA/Paramilitary links, Irish Crime, murder, sadism

The year 1998 was a particularly difficult one for the small town of Omagh, in Northern Ireland. There finally seemed to be a workable plan in place to bring about the beginning of a peace process, but along with that, emotions were heightened.

Just days before the agreement was signed, Sylvia Fleming (17) was out celebrating her first paycheque from her first job. She visited her ex boyfriend that night, and was never seen again. Her sisters, with whom Sylvia was very close, realised that something was wrong very quickly. The pregnant teenager would never have just left them. But they never thought that she would have suffered the fate that she did.

Join us this week as we look at the tragic events surrounding Sylvia Fleming’s murder, and how her community was torn apart that year.

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13 – The medical student & the cruel murder of Hazel Mullen

On By mensreapod@gmail.comIn Capital Punishment, Child Victim, Intimate Partner Violence, Irish Crime, Mental Health, murder, Vintage murder

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Shan Mohangi arrived in Dublin in 1962 from South Africa. He was 21 years old and had left his home country due to the limited opportunities afforded by the apartheid regime to people of colour in his country at the time. Like many who travelled to Ireland from the African continent, he enrolled in medical school. He took up residence in 95 Harcourt Street and also worked in the restaurant housed in its basement, The Green Tureen. The next year, he met 15 year old Hazel Mullen and the two started going out together. The relationship was serious to Shan, but perhaps less so to Hazel. On the 12th of August 1963, Hazel was to have lunch with Shan in his flat, but he said she never turned up. Smoke was later seen billowing from the restaurant downstairs. After searching all weekend, Shan Mohangi finally told the awful truth. Hazel was dead, and he had tried to burn her up in the ovens of the restaurant. But would 1960’s Ireland provide a man of colour a fair trial for the murder of a teenaged girl?

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