Jury in trial of man accused of murdering Cameron Reilly in Co Louth told they must reach unanimous verdict
He said the defence contends that sexual intimacy took place between Aaron Connolly and Cameron Reilly in the field and when Mr Connolly left, Mr Reilly was alive and well. He said the first part is accepted and told the jury that, if after careful examination and scrutiny they think it is reasonably possible the second part is true, then they must acquit.
The judge told the jury he would make transcripts of the evidence of forensic scientist Dr Clara Boland and of Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan available to them and said if there was anything else they needed or any evidence they wish to revisit then they should let him know. Counsel for the defence, Michael Bowman SC, said that there had been sexual contact between Mr Connolly and Mr Reilly on the night of the murder, with Mr Connolly pulling down Mr Reilly’s tracksuit bottoms and placing his penis in his mouth.
The jury also heard evidence during the trial from State Pathologist Linda Mulligan who conducted the postmortem on Mr Reilly on May 26th, 2018. “All of these features are in keeping with the application of external pressure on the neck. This was the cause of death,” she said. There were no obvious ligature marks or circular bruises identified, Dr Mulligan said, and the injuries sustained were more in keeping with a chokehold or the application of a rough surface implement to the neck.
In his closing statement to the jury, Michael Bowman SC, defending Mr Connolly, said “strategic lies” were told by several young people who were there on the night. He said people had lied about drug and alcohol use because they were afraid.
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