Case Notes #016: Instinct and Empathy

In this episode of Lines of Enquiry: Case Notes, John is joined by Pat Marry, a retired Detective Inspector with An Garda Síochána and author of several books, including The Making of a Detective.

Drawing on a career spanning more than three decades, Pat reflects on the persistence, attention to detail and empathy required to investigate serious crime.

He revisits the murders of Rachel O’Reilly and Mary Gough, explaining how instinct made him challenge the accounts given by their husbands, Joe O’Reilly and Colin Whelan. Pat describes what he recalls as pioneering uses of mobile phone location analysis and computer evidence in these murder investigations, and the painstaking work required to turn emerging techniques into evidence that could stand up in court.

Pat also speaks about investigating the murder of his colleague, Garda Adrian Donohoe, and the personal strain of seeking justice for someone he knew and worked alongside.