Hayes gets life imprisonment for murder

By Natasha Reid Saturday March 13th, 2010

OLIVER Hayes (49) of Clancool Terrace, Bandon, who was found guilty of the murder of 60-year-old widow Anne Corcoran in January, 2009 was sentenced on Wednesday at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork to life imprisonment.

Last Thursday, the jury of five women and seven men reached a majority verdict of 10 to 2 after three hours and 41 minutes deliberating at the Central Criminal Court.

The West Cork painter had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but not guilty to murdering her between January 19 and 21, 2009, after abducting her from her farmhouse at Maulnaskimlehane, Kilbrittain. Hayes also admitted falsely imprisoning her in his house and stealing €3,000 from her bank account following her death.

The prosecutor told the jury that if ever there was a murder, then the killing of 60-year-old Anne Corcoran was it. John O’Kelly, SC, prosecuting, reminded the court of the defendant’s admission that he deliberately targeted the woman for money, seeing her as a soft target.

The 11-day trial heard that Hayes was in debt and decided to rob Mrs Corcoran because she was ‘a woman on her own’ in a big farmhouse and he thought she would have money.

“In January 2009, work was quiet,” he told the court. “I had put off paying some of the bigger bills, thinking something might come around the corner.”

Hayes had made no mortgage payments on his rubbish-filled, end-of-terrace house in almost two years. The local credit union was pursuing him for a €10,000 debt on which he had defaulted.

His van insurance was in arrears and he was about to lose it. He couldn’t have his damaged van repaired until he paid his mechanic money he already owed him. The photography enthusiast also owed a shop for an expensive camera.

“I thought I’d go to some place and rob it,” he said, explaining that he knew of Mrs Corcoran as he had worked with her husband, who had given him lifts to work, and he knew where her house was.

“It stood out as a big two-storey house,” he said.

About 4.30pm on Monday, January 19, last year, he set off on the five-mile walk from Bandon to her farmhouse in Maulnaskimlehane, Kilbrittain. “I didn’t want the van to be seen,” he said.

The widow left in her car while he was stalking the house. He saw that there was nobody else there, only two dogs in the kitchen.

Hayes grabbed her as she opened her front door on her return. He tied her hands and demanded money. When she said it was in the bank, he demanded her bank card and PIN.

She didn’t hand them over, so he put her in the boot of her car and drove around for an hour, stopping four times to demand the card, retie her hands and tie her legs with her dog lead. He eventually took her to his house, where he tied her more securely and gagged her.

Mrs Corcoran eventually gave her PIN and told him where he’d find her card in her house. He decided to knock her out, so she wouldn’t raise the alarm while he was gone. He beat her over the head with a stick, but when this didn’t work, he used a heavy table top.

He returned to her house and stole her bank cards. He claimed she was alive, but unconscious when he returned, but had died by the morning.

He continued with his life as normal, visiting his girlfriend every morning and attending his camera club on the Wednesday night, while the widow’s body lay in his house.

He burned her body on the Thursday night and buried it in woodlands before going to her house to feed her dogs. He became emotional as he said he couldn’t bear to think of them suffering. It was the sight of their faeces throughout her well-kept home, which alerted a man painting outside that all was not well.

Hayes went to a 25th wedding anniversary on the Friday night and the next day went on a skiing trip to Austria. He had withdrawn the maximum amount of cash from the widow’s account on each of the five days between murdering her and going on holiday.

His victim was reported missing while he was gone and her irregular bank transactions led gardai to view CCTV of a man withdrawing her cash.

Hayes was identified by his strange walk and damaged van, but continued to deny his involvement even after the footage was put to him. He eventually admitted the killing, but claimed he didn’t intend it.

Gardai found Mrs Corcoran’s blood in his house, which was difficult to search due to the large amount of rubbish, building rubble and furniture inside.

The court heard that Mrs Corcoran died of blunt force trauma to the head. This was complicated by being gagged and having her hands tied behind her back, which would have impacted her breathing. She had to be identified by dental records.

After the verdict was read out, Detective Garda Jim Fitzgerald outlined the killer’s eight previous convictions, which included burglary of an 84-year-old’s home, assault with intent to rob, and theft. However he was never jailed before killing Mrs Corcoran.

The detective explained that on one occasion Hayes went to a woman’s house on the pretence of needing water for his car. He produced a knife, but a neighbour heard her scream and disturbed him.

Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded the murderer in custody for sentencing at Cork Courthouse this Wednesday, when he received a victim impact statement before passing the sentence.