Why did Gardai destroy possible burial site of Irelands longest missing child?

Laika123 wrote: »

Just saw this on the Irish Mirror site, Mary's sister saying the "cold case" is a sham, I agree with her.

Twin sister of missing Mary Boyle brands Garda review of cold case as 'a sham'

The twin sister of missing schoolgirl Mary Boyle has claimed the Garda cold case review into her sister’s disappearance is “a sham”.

Ann Doherty recently led two marches in the hope of new witnesses coming forward with information into her sibling’s disappearance.

Little Mary vanished from near her grandparents’ home in Cashelard outside Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, in 1977.

Gardai recently said they were launching a new investigation into the case and took part in a search on land near the family’s farm. However, nothing was found.

Ann claimed the move was designed “to mislead the public and give an impression the gardai are taking the case seriously – it is my belief they are not”.

She said: “I believe it is nothing more than a sham to delay justice further and an outrageous waste of public money.”

In her statement, Ann added she does not think detectives want to get to the bottom of her sister’s disappearance.

irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/twin-sister-missing-mary-boyle-8591273

I might've missed it but are the Mainstream media totally ignoring her statement about her mother from Sunday night?

oranbhoy67 wrote: »

I might've missed it but are the Mainstream media totally ignoring her statement about her mother from Sunday night?

Just saw this. I was away for a few days so anyone care to enlighten me on what the statement contained please?

kbannon wrote: »

Very little new in it and it seems to lack evidence.
How does she know for a fact that her sister was sexually abused?
If I were her i'd name names and take the consequences if i felt i was right

Going Forward wrote: »

Do you think believe there is sufficient grounds for them to arrest anyone else?

It does not matter one whit what I think. They obviously do not believe they have sufficient evidence to do so.

Were they at fault for too readily accepting original explanations?

I do not know they did 'readily accept' the original explanations ..... do you? Your question seems to be based on something I di not know to be a fact.

Going Forward wrote: »

But given to whom?

The NYPD said they'd solved the case in 5 minutes but I didn't see any convictions.

I think you will find that the only thing said was they believed they knew ...... just like a lot of people posting here. That is not evidence nor sufficient cause for charging someone. I feel sure that the majority of the gardai involved in the case over the years also had a belief they knew.

This case is an example of how not to investigate a missing persons case though, that I accept.

Nearly 40 years ago the family's privacy and feelings were more taken into account than these days, so it is hard to judge and looking back and applying the norms of today to that time just does not work well.
Family members are often the first suspects these days; back then they were more likely to be the last.

Seems like from Anns recent statement that she might be getting ready to name the suspect in public. I wonder what the consequences are here. He would have a case against her for defamation but I severely doubt he would take it as that would mean him being cross examined in court about the murder.

What about prejudicing a trial? I remember Charlie Haughey got off scot free on the basis that he couldnt get a fair trial in Ireland. That was back then though, more recently Seanie Fitzpatrick tried to claim the same because of all the media coverage on the banking crises but the courts told him to take a hike. Im not sure how it would pan out in the Boyle case though as the circumstance are different.

Would naming the suspect actually force the Gardai hand into doing something? I would like to think so but Im not sure it would. No media organisation would report it because the suspect could then sue them for defamation rather than Ann Docherty. She could use Facebook to name him and the mainstream media would report on that but they wouldnt name him themselves. So it would become a kind of online thing where everyone knows the name but it never appears in the papers/on radio.

In fact the only way the suspect could be named and reported on by the media is if a TD did it in the Dail under privledge. Im sure there are TDs who have an interest in the case but its a whole other matter to be naming people as murderers in the Dail. It would however get the name out on a national scale as the media cant be sued for words uttered in the Dail. A long shot perhaps but lets face it this 5 year long cold case review is a con, the Gardai are stalling here. Sometimes extraordinary circumstances need extraordinary actions.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Seems like from Anns recent statement that she might be getting ready to name the suspect in public. I wonder what the consequences are here. He would have a case against her for defamation but I severely doubt he would take it as that would mean him being cross examined in court about the murder.

What about prejudicing a trial? I remember Charlie Haughey got off scot free on the basis that he couldnt get a fair trial in Ireland. That was back then though, more recently Seanie Fitzpatrick tried to claim the same because of all the media coverage on the banking crises but the courts told him to take a hike. Im not sure how it would pan out in the Boyle case though as the circumstance are different.

Would naming the suspect actually force the Gardai hand into doing something? I would like to think so but Im not sure it would. No media organisation would report it because the suspect could then sue them for defamation rather than Ann Docherty. She could use Facebook to name him and the mainstream media would report on that but they wouldnt name him themselves. So it would become a kind of online thing where everyone knows the name but it never appears in the papers/on radio.

In fact the only way the suspect could be named and reported on by the media is if a TD did it in the Dail under privledge. Im sure there are TDs who have an interest in the case but its a whole other matter to be naming people as murderers in the Dail. It would however get the name out on a national scale as the media cant be sued for words uttered in the Dail. A long shot perhaps but lets face it this 5 year long cold case review is a con, the Gardai are stalling here. Sometimes extraordinary circumstances need extraordinary actions.

From what I am told by people who were at a screening of the Documentary tonight in Belfast & Q&A session after it, he might be named sooner rather than later

I think this would be a wrong move but then it's getting desperate it seems like no one with any clout is listening .

I know of one TD who I spoke to who said he would be willing to use parliamentary privilege to name him should he have to , whether he would or not is a different matter

Was it Lynn Boylan that brought up the case in the EU? Is there protection to name him under previliage there?