THE family of a priest whose death led to one of the most
controversial trials in the history of the State has demanded that the
case be reopened after they were given details of an Irish Independent
investigation.
Relatives of Fr Niall Molloy, who have fought for
25 years for the truth about their uncle's death, have been joined in
their call by Labour justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte, who said the new
findings were "profoundly disquieting".
Fr Molloy was brutally killed on July 8, 1985, in the wake of a society wedding at Richard Flynn's mansion in Clara, Co Offaly.
Fine
Gael justice spokesperson Alan Shatter said it was "clear that
disturbing new information has now emerged, which indicates that the
original investigation into the death of Fr Molloy needs to be
reopened".
One of the country's most experienced pathologists,
Professor Dermot Hourihane, former head of pathology at Trinity College
Dublin, believes the case raises "many major questions about the
workings of the Irish justice system".
Details of the investigation were also shown to a former Circuit Court judge, John Gerard Buchanan.
In
an interview with this newspaper this week, he criticises the role
played by his late colleague, Mr Justice Frank Roe, who heard the case
in 1986, even though he knew the accused, businessman Richard Flynn.
Mr
Flynn stood trial for the manslaughter and assault of Fr Molloy.
There
was public outrage when the trial collapsed after just three-and-a-half
hours and he directed the jury to acquit Mr Flynn.
"The full facts
of this case did not come into the public domain as a result of the
direction given by Judge Roe," Judge Buchanan said this week.
A
post-mortem by state pathologist Professor John Harbison found that the
priest had been brutally beaten and that he died as a result of head
injuries.
His family said last night that the Irish Independent
had uncovered significant new evidence about the affair, including fresh
witness statements and glaring inconsistencies.
They and many
local people in Clara have always believed that other people were
present in the Flynn house the night Fr Molloy was killed.
Now, 25
years after his death, new witnesses have come forward with crucial
information which sheds fresh light on the case. The findings of the
Irish Independent investigation include:
- A new witness account from the local sergeant in Clara, Kevin Forde, who was the first garda at the crime scene that night. He has stated that a gold watch Fr Molloy was wearing was cracked, its hands stuck at 10.40. Gardai were not notified about the death until 3.15.
Sgt Forde believes that up to five hours could have passed before the crime was reported.
- This newspaper has also interviewed a close friend of an influential doctor. The doctor confessed to him that he was present in the Flynns' mansion the night of Fr Molloy's death. Richard Flynn said that only he, his wife and an elderly aunt were in the house at the time. The doctor died shortly after the priest's death at a young age.
- Details of a break-in and fire in the Offaly coroner's office, which destroyed his file on the case, have also come to light for the first time.
- An unsigned letter has been uncovered after 24 years. It gives a gruesome and vivid version of events on the night of the priest's death and names another man as the killer.
Last night, Bill Maher, a nephew of Fr Molloy, said: "We have
never given up trying to find out the truth about what happened to our
beloved uncle and why our family were deprived of justice. Now, we are
closer to that truth. The time has come for a complete review of the
case and answers to all of the baffling questions we have sought for 25
years."
SIC: II/IE