By Olivia Kelleher
A nurse who went to the home of a 61-year- old man to carry out a welfare check has told a murder trial that she found him dead 'in a large pool of congealed blood.'
Daniel Hourigan (33) who is originally from Farranree in Cork city is on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in the city charged with the murder of Michael Foley.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr Foley had experienced homelessness and was living in a Housing First property at Annville, Barrett’s Place in Macroom. He received two visits a week from a key worker with the organisation.
Psychiatric nurse Ciara Harmon said in evidence that she called to the home of Mr Foley on February 6th, 2024. He had failed to meet her for a medical appointment five days earlier. She had contacted him by phone several times but had been unable to reach him.
Ms Harmon said that it wasn’t unusual for him to fail to return calls when he had been socialising and drinking alcohol. She indicated that it was her job to assist him with his health issues.
She told the jury of six men and six women that she arrived at the property at about lunchtime on February 6th. There was no answer at the door and a neighbour told her that he hadn’t seen Mr Foley for a few days. The door was unlocked so Ms Harmon went in to do a welfare check.
Ms Harmon received no response when she called out Michael Foley’s name. She peered in to the kitchen/living room. She immediately noticed the body of Michael Foley. She said that he was lying on his right hand side on the ground.
'There was a large pool of congealed blood all around him. His face was a purple colour. I was sure he was deceased.
There was some sort of material partially covering his torso and head. There was a large blood spatter across the back wall and there was blood on the couch. There was quite a metallic stale smell.
I was just peering around the door. I didn’t touch him. I closed the front door and rang the emergency services. I stayed at the front door and didn’t let anyone enter (the house) before the guards arrived.'
Ms Harmon said that Mr Foley kept a 'very clean house' and presented himself well. He did his own shopping and cooking and was quite independent but 'drank (alcohol) a lot.'
Niamh Kelleher, a case manager with the Housing First charity said that she had also made several calls to Mr Foley after he failed to meet Ms Harmon for a medical appointment on February 1st, 2024.
The colleagues had been assigned as case workers to Mr Foley. Ms Kelleher last saw Mr Foley on the 23d of January 2024. She had what turned out to be her final conversation with him on January 31st, 2024.
Garda Kieran Cremin told the court that gardai had received a call to attend at the home of Michael Foley at lunchtime on February 6th, 2024.
He and another garda went in to the house. Garda Cremin 'peered around the corner of the kitchen' and saw the body of the deceased. He had 'injuries to his head and there was blood on the floor.'
The house was subsequently designated a crime scene. The property was preserved for forensic examination. An incident room was also set up.
Meanwhile, the trial got underway yesterday. (Wed)
Prosecution barrister Jane Hyland, SC, gave the jury an outline of the case. She emphasised that this was not evidence in itself.
Ms Hyland said that when gardai were called to the property they 'could see that he (Foley) was severely beaten' and had 'gash type injuries to his skull.'
She stated that Mr Foley was last seen alive on the 31st of January 2024 whilst out doing errands in Macroom.
Ms Hyland said that Daniel Hourigan and a woman called Linda O’Flynn were detected on CCTV going in to the home of Mr Foley at 8.19pm on January 31st, 2024.
Mr Hourigan and Ms O’Flynn were seen on CCTV leaving the property at 11.08am on February 1st, 2024. The jury were told that the pair travelled back to Cork city by bus.
Ms Hyland said that that evidence would be presented to the jury that Mr Hourigan was carrying a black plastic bag which he placed in the hold area of the bus.
'It turns out the bag had a knife. You will hear about that. That knife was analysed and the blood of Michael Foley was on it.'
Mr Hourigan and Ms O’Flynn got off the bus in Cork city. The bag containing the knife was left in the hold are. The knife was thrown away by a bus worker.
However, it was later recovered and forensically examined.
The case will continue tomorrow. (Friday)
