Carrie Mullane murder accused’s mother accused of withholding information

The mother of a man accused of the murder of Carrie Mullane has appeared in court, charged with withholding information from police.

Mary Lynch, 69, from Windmill Heights, Enniskillen, appeared at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

She faced one charge of withholding information on dates between October 10 and November 8.

Ms Mullane, 39, had been missing since she arrived in Enniskillen from Limerick on October 10.

On Monday, police recovered a body from Lough Erne in County Fermanagh.

Police then said they had been in touch with Ms Mullane’s family and that the formal identification process may take a period of time.

Michael Lynch, 35, of Trasna Park, Enniskillen, the son of Mary Lynch, appeared in court on Saturday charged with the murder of Ms Mullane and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

Another man, aged in his 30s, who was also arrested in connection with the investigation, remains in police custody.

Mary Lynch appeared in the dock of the court on Wednesday using a walking stick.

She confirmed her identity and nodded when asked if she understood the charge.

A detective sergeant told the court she could connect the accused to the offence.

The officer said police were objecting to bail and outlined the background to the case.

She said Ms Mullane had been reported missing to Gardaí on October 25.

She said on October 29, police in Northern Ireland were asked to conduct a welfare check at the home of Michael Lynch, Ms Mullane’s partner.

The officer said Ms Mullane’s family had last seen her with him on October 10 when they left Limerick to travel to Enniskillen.

When PSNI checked the address, Ms Mullane was not present and Michael Lynch told police he had not seen her since around October 10.

The detective said Ms Mullane did not collect her benefits from Limerick and had not been in touch with family or friends.

The officer said her family reported they had “serious concerns” about Michael Lynch and his “abusive nature” towards her.

The PSNI revisited the address at Trasna Park on October 30 and the officer said Michael Lynch’s “account changed”.

She said he then told police he had rowed with Ms Mullane about his previous partner.

He told police he had fallen asleep on the sofa of his and believed he had been “knocked out” due to a substance administered by Ms Mullane.

The officer said he told police that when he woke up, she was gone.

He then showed police a phone message he said she sent to him saying she had gone to Londonderry.

The detective said suspects in the case appeared to have a “common practice of swapping phones and SIM cards between parties”.

She told the court there was ongoing digital investigative work in respect of this.

A search of the Trasna Park property did not locate Ms Mullane, the officer told the court.

She said Mary Lynch was present and in bed during the search.

The officer said CCTV inquiries established Ms Mullane and Michael Lynch travelled by taxi to his home address.

A taxi driver gave a statement to police stating Ms Mullane had been intoxicated.

The officer said police believe the couple had been arguing and this continued when they went into the address.
The detective said CCTV inquiries show Mary Lynch in a shop in Enniskillen on October 30 buying a phone.

She also said house-to-house inquiries obtained information that Ms Mullane and Michael Lynch had been staying in a camper van in front of the Trasna Park property.

Neighbours told police they saw him clearing out the van on October 23 and it was towed on October 24, the detective said.

She said police have since seized the van and a blood-stained carpet and blood-stained shoes were taken from it. She said Ms Mullane’s DNA was on the items.

She said a carpet had recently been lifted from the Trasna Park property.

The officer said: “Police believe that Ms Mullane was fatally injured on this carpet”.

She said Mary Lynch was present at the property throughout the “relevant time periods”.

In her interview with police, she confirmed her son had removed the carpet, but said she did not know why he did this.

She then said a phone seized from Michael Lynch was the one bought in Enniskillen by his mother.

The officer said tests had shown the SIM Card in this phone had been used in Ms Mullane’s phone from October 22 to 25.

She said: “The digital indicator shows that Mary Lynch has assisted Michael Lynch in changing and moving phones and police believe the reason for this is to obstruct any investigation into Ms Mullane’s murder.”

Mary Lynch was arrested on November 8 and interviewed for three days.

The detective said she told police she had been present when her son had assaulted Ms Mullane.

She said he had “hit her four to five times” and that she had intervened and suffered injuries herself.

The officer said Mary Lynch had told police: “I couldn’t save the girl.”

The detective said Mary Lynch confirmed she was aware of the missing person report for Ms Mullane but did not contact police.

She also told the court that Mary Lynch had been in the Republic of Ireland when her son was arrested on November 2.

She told police she travelled there because she was “so scared”.

The officer said Mary Lynch was arrested on her return to Northern Ireland.

The officer said police objected to bail as the supplied bail address was in the Republic of Ireland.

She said Mary Lynch had family ties to the Republic of Ireland and they had concerns she would abscond.

A defence lawyer asked the officer to confirm that the defendant had returned to Northern Ireland of her own volition.

The officer agreed.

District judge Francis Rafferty said he was minded to grant bail but would require a bail address in Northern Ireland.

He remanded the accused in custody until November 18.