A retired detective sergeant from the Garda Technical Bureau has denied allegations made by Noel Long, convicted in connection with a 1981 murder in Cork. The pre-trial hearing at the Central Criminal Court heard that Long alleged he was beaten during interrogation at Union Quay Garda Station and had his head immersed in containers. Detective Gerry O'Carroll, a former member of the Murder Squad, rejected these claims as "extraordinary" and "fanciful". He testified that Long was questioned voluntarily for approximately three hours regarding the death of Nora Sheehan, a mother-of-three whose body was discovered near Mayo. O'Carroll stated that Long made admissions after being presented with forensic evidence linking him to the victim's presence in his vehicle. Long's counsel disputed that any confession occurred and challenged O'Carroll's account of events. The retired detective also addressed his interview techniques, including his account of praying with serial killer John Shaw during a separate investigation in the 1970s.
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Original report plus public source leads and related archive reports used for review context.
Public source leads
- 'Murder Squad' detective denied Noel Long had head immersed in body parts in interview - Irish Examiner Irish Examiner · Sat, 05 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT
- What the jury didn't hear in 'cold case' trial that found Noel Long guilty of Nora Sheehan's murder - The Journal The Journal · Sun, 06 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT
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