Judges to rule on Patrick Quirke appeal over conviction for murder of DJ

The Court of Appeal will give judgment on Tuesday on the appeal by Co Tipperary farmer Patrick Quirke against his conviction for the murder of a local DJ.

Quirke (51), of Breanshamore, Co Tipperary, was convicted two years ago of the murder of father-of-two Bobby Ryan (52), known as "Mr Moonlight", at Fawnagowan in Tipperary.

A jury at the Central Criminal Court found Quirke murdered Mr Ryan and dumped his body in an underground tank.

His appeal against conviction, brought on 52 grounds, was heard by a three judge Court of Appeal (COA) in October last year.

Bernard Condon SC, for Quirke, argued his client had not received a fair trial on grounds including that a core witness, Mary Lowry, was "extraordinarily compromised".

Mr Ryan disappeared on June 3rd 2011 after leaving the home of Ms Lowry early in the morning. His badly decomposed body was discovered in a disused, underground tank almost two years later on April 30th, 2013, on farmland owned by Ms Lowry and leased by Quirke.

Quirke had previously had an affair with Ms Lowry and the prosecution argued during his trial that he murdered Mr Ryan so he could rekindle the affair.