Copyright irishmirror
The father of a man whose skeletal remains were found in a jute bag in scrubland has thanked gardai for bringing his son home for burial after he was murdered by two men whom he referred to as "monsters". A jury of 10 men and two woman at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork found Luke Taylor, 28, and Niall Long, 33, guilty of the murder of Kieran Quilligan last week following a three-week trial. Mr Quilligan, 47, was missing for five months before his remains were found in a ravine at Whitewell, Rostellan, Co Cork , on January 29, 2024. He had suffered 19 broken bones after being attacked with fists and a hammer-like object. Gardai had brought a PSNI cadaver dog to an area of interest to the investigation where they discovered the remains in a one-tonne gravel bag. At the start of the sentencing hearing yesterday, the co-ordinator of the Garda investigation, Det Garda Ann O’Sullivan of the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork, said that the two men subjected Mr Quilligan to a "significant and sustained assault" on September 1, 2023. Stephen Quilligan, father of the late Kieran , told the hearing that the two perpetrators would never be forgiven for what they had done. Mr Quilligan said that he knew that there was foul play involved when his son disappeared without trace on September 1, 2023. He added: "It all started for us two years ago and it has been a nightmare of our family ever since. We want to thank the gardai who never gave up. They said they would bring Kieran home and they did. "Due to the nature of this case, any time we asked what was going on, the gardai could not tell us. We were told when the case would come up in court, everything would come out. "We were hearing what really went on for the first time and were shocked, angry and in disbelief that someone could do this to another person and pretend like nothing happened." Mr Quilligan said that it was beyond difficult to listen to the "horror stories" that emerged over the trial. He said that the defendants didn’t show "one bit of remorse" for murdering his son. He added that Kieran was a "loving son, brother and uncle" before thanking the gardai and the prosecution team for treating Kieran "like a human being." Meanwhile, Catherine O’Flynn, the mother of the deceased, said that Kieran was "adored" by his family. She added: "Kieran had the biggest heart you ever seen. His birthday, the 13th of July 2023, was the last time I saw Kieran. If I had known what was going to happen I would never have left him leave the house. "I will never forgive them for what they have put our family through." Colette O’Driscoll, the partner of the deceased, said that he left their home on September 1, 2023 and she never saw him again. She added: "Niall Long and Luke Taylor stole my future with the man I loved, adored and cherished." She said that herself and Kieran were set to move in to their forever home when he was violently taken from this world, adding: "Kieran was going to get the keys to his long-awaited castle. Now unfortunately Kieran will never get the keys to his castle." Whilst sentencing Taylor and Long to mandatory life imprisonment, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford praised gardai for the "exemplary" manner in which they carried out their comprehensive investigation. The judge said that the perpetrators might well have never been found other than for the enormous work of investigating gardai. She also paid tribute to members of the Quilligan family for the manner in which they had conducted themselves in "difficult circumstances." Ms Justice Lankford added that Kieran was taken from this world in the "most egregious circumstances." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
