Defendants blame each other for man’s death, trial told

The jury in the trial of two people charged with the murder of a Cork father of four who sustained 11 slash and stab-type wounds has been told that the male and female defendants are effectively blaming each other for what occurred.

Daniel Hourigan, 32, and Linda O’Flynn, 32, went on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork today charged with the murder of 61-year-old Michael Foley.

The alleged offence occurred on a date unknown between 31 January and 1 February 2024 in Macroom, Co Cork.

Yesterday the two accused pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Foley. They respectively replied that they were “not guilty of murder but guilty of assisting an offender under Section 7, subsection 2 of the Criminal Law Act, 1997”.

A jury of seven men and five women were given an outline of the case this morning by prosecution senior counsel Jane Hyland. However, she emphasised that this was not evidence in itself.

Ms Hyland said that the two co-accused were in a relationship with each other at the time of the alleged offence.

She said that during their garda interviews they both blamed the other person for the injuries inflicted on Mr Foley.

She said: “Both of the accused were interviewed by gardaí. Both of them said they were not in Macroom at the time, on the night.

“Ultimately, at the end of interviews both accused blamed the other person for the injuries inflicted on Michael Foley and the death of Mr Foley.”

Michael Foley ‘severely beaten’, jury to hear

Ms Hyland said that Mr Foley was living in a Housing First tenancy in Macroom at the time of his death. He had experienced addiction issues earlier in his life.

A care worker called to his home in Barrett’s Place in the town on 6 February 2024 after she became concerned about his welfare.

Mr Foley had missed appointments and was uncontactable by phone.

Ms Hyland said that when the care worker went into the property she found Mr Foley lying dead on the kitchen floor. The alarm was raised and gardaí went to the property.

Ms Hyland said that the jury would hear evidence that Mr Foley had been “severely beaten”. He had suffered a cut to his left ear and an incision and gash to the skull.

Ms Hyland stated that CCTV from the Macroom area was harvested. She said that on 31 January 2024, Mr Foley was captured on CCTV going to the post office and to three supermarkets in Macroom.

“He was well and in good health and moving around the town. At times he was in the company of an acquaintance. The final image of Mr Foley taken alive was at 8.15pm on the 31st of January 2024. The CCTV was of a laneway near where he lived. He passed down (the laneway),” she said.

Ms Hyland told the jury that Mr Hourigan and Ms O’Flynn were captured on CCTV on 31 January 2024 making the journey by bus from Cork to Macroom. They were seen walking towards Mr Foley’s house at 8.19pm.

11 slash, stab wounds led to haemorrhage, shock and death, court told

Ms Hyland said that on the morning 1 February 2024, the two accused made the “reverse journey”.

She indicated that evidence would be presented to the jury that they got off the bus at Western Road in the city leaving a black bag behind in the hold area.

She said the jury would hear evidence from the bus driver who looked in the bag and spotted that there was a knife in it. The knife was put in a metal recycling bin.

However, Ms Hyland said that when it was recovered and forensically examined it was found to have Mr Foley’s blood on it.

Ms Hyland said that Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margaret Bolster, conducted a postmortem examination on Mr Foley which showed extensive bruising to the eyes and cheek “consistent with multiple blows”.

He incurred 11 slash and stab wounds leading to haemorrhage, shock and his death.

Ms Hyland stated that the jury would also hear evidence to the effect that Mr Hourigan’s print was found in a bloodstain of Mr Foley’s blood on the architrave of the door of his bedroom.

She added that the jury would also hear evidence that Ms O’Flynn’s fingerprints were in the kitchen of the home of the deceased.

Ms Hyland said that Mr Hourigan was distantly related to the deceased man. She added that what occurred was a “joint enterprise” between the two accused.

“The State case is that these two people were acting together in joint enterprise in the unlawful killing of Michael Foley and that at the time they intended to kill or intended to cause serious injury to Mr Foley,” she said.

The case will continue on Tuesday before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford and the jury. It is expected to last up to three weeks.