by John Mooney
Cullen, Andrew, fireman.
Mannelly, Glen, a fireman in Tara Street.
Phibsboro Fire Station, near the Royal Canal.
Tara Street Fire Station, a command and control unit in Dublin city centre.
*****
Forensics
Auguestin, Dr, an Isotope Analysis expert in Belfast.
Curtis, Dr Michael, Deputy State Pathologist.
Dublin City Morgue, where the post-mortem of Noor was carried out.
Fakih, Dr Y.M. called to the scene to confirm the remains were human and pronounce death officially.
Isotope Analysis, a process whereby the likely nationality of a body can be determined through the examination of the diet, through the intestines, and oxygen.
McBride, Dr Bríd, a forensic scientist.
*****
Locations
Brittas, an area near Tallaght Linda walked to with Noor’s head.
Clarke’s Bridge, the specific location on the Royal Canal where Charlotte and Linda chose to dump the remains of Noor.
Gardiner Street, in Dublin’s north inner city.
Kilclare Gardens, Fettercairn, Tallaght, at the foot of the Dublin Mountains.
Killinarden Park, and Killinarden Hill, green areas near Tallaght.
Lamh District, the Coast Province, Kenya, where Noor was born.
Liffey boardwalk
Lismore House, Drumcondra, where Kathleen stayed after leaving Mountainview.
Mombassa, where Noor’s mother lives.
O’Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare.
17 Richmond Cottages, in Dublin’s north inner city area of Ballybough, where the killing of Noor occurred.
Royal Canal, the waterway running through Ballybough.
Sean Walsh Memorial Park, a park near the Square.
Terenure College, where John Mulhall was first arrested.
Square Shopping Centre, Tallaght, The
Summerhill Parade, a thoroughfare in the north inner city of Dublin where Kathleen was first arrested.
Sunset House Pub, a bar in the north inner city.
Tymon Park North, a park in Tallaght near the Square.
*****
Witnesses
Abdulaziz, Ali Suleiman, a friend of Noor, who Kathleen asked about Noor after he had been killed.
Andrews, Mary, the manager at the Mountainview.
Bob, Hanji and Catalin, who ran Lismore House.
Burke, Caitriona, the new tenant at No. 1, 17 Richmond Cottages, who gave gardaí permission to run forensic tests in her home.
Farrelly, Dermot, a community Welfare Officer who was told by Kathleen that Noor had left her and asked about his whereabouts.
Gannon, Margaret, a witness who saw the body parts in the canal.
Kearney, Paul, a witness who saw the body parts in the canal.
Keegan, Laurence, a retired army private who saw the half-buried head of Noor in Sean Walsh Memorial Park.
Mohamed, Ibrahim, a friend of Noor, who was told by Kathleen that he had left her.
Noor, Mohammed Ali, a friend of Noor, who contacted another friend, Rashid Omar Ahmed, asking him to enquire about Noor’s whereabouts through contacts in Dublin and Cork.
O’Connor, Derek, of the Asylum Seekers Unit.
O’Connor, James, a witness who saw the body parts in the canal and phoned 999.
Said, Husna Mohamed, Noor’s wife in Kenya.
Shigoo, Somoe Bakari, Noor’s mother in Kenya.
Steinle, Peter, a witness who saw the body parts in the canal from North Strand Road and phoned Crimestoppers.
Tobin, John, who collected rent from Kathleen Mulhall and was told that Noor had left her.
*****
Legal Personnel
Birmingham, George, a barrister who was senior counsel for the state.
Carney, Mr Justice Paul, the presiding judge at the trial of Linda and Charlotte Mulhall.
Gibbons, Judge Conal, Charlotte appeared before him after admitting to her involvement in the killing.
Grehan, Brendan, SC, Linda’s representative in court.
Kennedy, Isobel, SC, Charlotte’s representative in court, and Sean Gillane, who worked alongside her.
Lonergan, John, the Governor of Mountjoy Prison.
Malone, Judge Miriam, Linda appeared before her for the hearing.
McCaffery, Dr Brian, a psychiatrist who stated after examination that Linda Mulhall was unfit, in his opinion, to go to trial.
Ní Raifeartaigh, Una, prosecutor.
O’Doherty, John, Charlotte’s solicitor
O’Donnell, Judge Hugh, issued the arrest warrant for Linda Mulhall.
Sheehan, Robert, from the prosecutor’s office.
Tunney, Kevin, a Tallaght solicitor who specialises in criminal law.
*****
Other Notes
‘Adam’ Investigation, The, a case investigated by the Metropolitan Police in London after the body of an unknown young male was found in the Thames. He was believed to have been a victim of muti Killing.
Adecco Recruitment Agency, the job agency through which Noor got his job with Schmitt ECS.
Bestia, Adrian, a young Romanian man found dead in a suitcase in the Royal Canal in July 2001, not far from the site where the torso of Noor was found.
Kafan, a white sheet that is wrapped around a body in preparation for a Muslim burial.
Mecca, where Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born. People of the Muslim faith must face in the direction of Mecca when they pray
Metro, The, newspaper.
Mohangi, Shan, a medical student who killed and dismembered his 16-year-old girlfriend in Dublin in 1963.
Murray, Raonaid, a teenage girl stabbed to death near her home in Dun Laoghaire in 1999. Noor alluded to the fact that he had killed her.
Muti killing, a ritual murder in which the vital organs of the victim are harvested while they are still alive, used in some cultures with the belief that the one carrying out the ritual will gain increased sexual or mental prowess.
Onyemaechi, Paiche, a mother of two and daughter of the Chief Justice of Malawi, Leonard Unyolo, whose headless body was found near Piltown, Co. Kilkenny in July 2004.
salat-l-janazah, the Muslim funeral prayer.
Schmitt ECS, the company for whom Noor worked.
Staffords Funeral Home, where the funeral prayers took place.
Street Journal, The newspaper.
Imam, the leader in the Muslim prayers.
Linda Mulhall, a mother of four, who always considered herself to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She broke down several times when making statements to detectives about the killing of Farah Swaleh Noor, but pleaded not guilty when the case went to court.
© Collins Agency / Chris Maddaloni
© Collins Agency / Chris Maddaloni
Charlotte Mulhall, nicknamed ‘Charlie’ by her sister, was the younger of the two dubbed the ‘Scissor Sisters’, after details of their horrific crime came to light. The brutal killing of the victim shocked the media and public alike, and was considered one of the most violent cases in the history of the state.
Farah Swaleh Noor, also known as Sheilila Salim, with an ex-girlfriend, with whom he had a son.
With this woman’s co-operation, the Garda were able to match the child’s DNA with that found on the torso in the canal, formally identifying the victim. They later matched this DNA with that found at the scene of the killing.
The section of the Royal Canal at Ballybough Bridge where the dismembered torso was discovered, is in the shadow of Croke Park.
© Photocall Ireland / Graham Hughes
Forensic gardaí
and the Garda Sub Aqua Unit removed seven body parts from the canal. The dismembered body was so badly decomposed that the flesh fell from the bone at the slightest touch, and evidence had to be placed in bags underwater to preserve them as much as possible.
This page © Collins Agency / Colin Keegan
Some of the items found with the body parts included a pair of socks and Y-fronts, but it was hoped that the distinctive Ireland ‘away’ jersey would be key in identifying the victim. This proved to be the case.
© Photocall Ireland / Leon Farrell
From left to right, Superintendent John Leahy and Detective Inspector Christy Mangan talk to the media about the discovery of the remains in the Royal Canal. At first it was thought that this could have been a ritual killing, as the head had not been found.
© Photocall Ireland / Leon Farrell
The Crimestoppers appeal for information to help identify the victim found dismembered in the canal included the distinctive clothes found with the body in the hope that they might jog a witness’s memory.
17 Richmond Cottages, Ballybough, where the gruesome killing and dismem-berment of Farah Swaleh Noor took place. Gardaí discovered traces of blood there, even after Kathleen Mulhall, Linda and Charlotte’s mother, had moved out. It took between six and eight hours for the body to be chopped up in the small bathroom of this inner city flat.
© Collins Agency / Arthur Carron
© Collins Agency / Garrett White
Charlotte and Linda made conflicting statements to detectives when questioned about what had happened on the night Noor was killed. Weeks after denying any knowledge of Noor’s death, a distraught Linda contacted detectives to confess to the killing.
© Collins Agency / Chris Maddaloni
Marie Mulhall, who offered to make a statement to detectives detailing her sister Charlotte’s confession to the killing. She would later give evidence at the trial.
© Courtpix
John Mulhall Snr, who encouraged his daughters to confess to the killing. He tragically committed suicide in December 2005, shortly after Linda and Charlotte were arrested and charged.
About 40 people gathered at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin for the funeral of Noor. No members of his family were able to attend, as they were too poor to afford the flight to Ireland.
Linda’s legal team argued that she was paramount in solving the crime, given her confession to detectives. Charlotte had a six month old baby at this time, and would later request that her baby be brought into the prison with her.
© Sunday Times
© Courtpix
Mr Justice Paul Carney, who presided over the trial. He described it as ‘the most grotesque case of killing that has occurred within my professional lifetime.’
George Birmingham SC for the prosecution.
© Courtpix
Brendan Grehan SC, defence for Linda Mulhall, who argued a defence of provocation on his client’s behalf.
© Courtpix
© Collins Agency / Garrett White
As the trial went on, the emotion and tension got to Charlotte and especially Linda. She had admitted to detectives that she was haunted by the face of Noor after his death.
On 4 December 2006 Charlotte Mulhall was sentenced to life for the murder of Farah Swaleh Noor. After 18 hours of deliberation over three days, Linda Mulhall’s defence of provocation was accepted and she was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter. She wept as her sentence was read out in court.
© Sunday Times
John Mooney, 34, has reported on crime and terrorism for newspapers and broadcasters for over ten years. He is the Crime Correspondent for the Sunday Times. He wrote and devised The Underworld, a four part documentary series broadcast on RTE television in 2003. He also produced Sabhair ach Salach, a series profiling Ireland’s richest criminals for TG4 in 2006.
His first book, Gangster (2001), the biography of drugs trafficker John Gilligan, was a No. 1 bestseller.
His second book, Black Operations: The Secret War Against the Real IRA (2003), co-written with Michael O’Toole, is still considered the definitive account on the Real IRA and the 1998 Omagh bombing.
Rough Justice: Memoirs of a Gangster, (2004) which he ghost wrote for the Dublin criminal Maurice ‘Bo Bo’ Ward, was also a bestseller.
Acknowledgements
This book is an account of the untimely killing and dismemberment of Farah Swaleh Noor, a Kenyan immigrant whose dismembered remains were found in the Royal Canal in north central Dublin, in March 2005.
The victim had been stabbed to death inside a flat at Richmond Cottages, where his body was then dismembered in a brutal fashion.
Various parts of his body were dumped in the canal, while his head was taken away and hidden in a public park, and then moved to another location, from where it vanished.
The killing gripped Ireland for obvious reasons. There was an initial suspicion that Noor was the victim of a ritual sacrifice.
When it emerged that two sisters from a working class estate in Dublin—Charlotte and Linda Mulhall—were behind the killing, I became interested in the story.
What follows is an account of the killing, or specifically the killers’ recollections of the tragic events. It is worth noting that no one will ever know the full truth about what happened; all the statements gathered by the detectives tasked with establishing the truth contradict each other.
The two participants in the killing were drunk and had taken drugs on the night; therefore their recollections cannot be fully relied upon.
In the course of writing this book, I interviewed as many people as I could to establish what had happened. I also took information from documents prepared for the sisters’ trials. In everyone I approached, I found a willingness to help. In this regard, I offer my eternal thanks to the detective team at Mountjoy, Fitzgibbon and Store Street Garda Stations, who were tasked with investigating Noor’s killing. Their willingness to reveal the specifics about the case is not forgotten.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks to those who knew Charlotte and Linda Mulhall, and agreed to share their experiences with me. Members of the sisters’ extended family, their neighbours, and some friends gave me an insight into the women’s personalities, their social back-grounds and their family history. Some of this information has not been published to protect the privacy of various people.
I am also indebted to Noor’s former partner, who revealed the intimate details of the time she spent with him. The harrowing accounts of the beatings and attacks she suffered at his hands could not have been easy to recall. I thank her profusely for assisting me in the research of this book.
A number of legal sources also provided an insight into the mechanics of the trial; their advice was much appreciated.
Much of what follows was taken from evidence gathered by gardaí and used by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the trial of Linda and Charlotte Mulhall heard before the Central Criminal Court. I have used information contained in the book of evidence to tell the story. I thank everyone who passed me these documents for their assistance.
On a personal note, I would like to thank my immediate friends, family and colleagues. Among them Fr Seamus Ahearne of Finglas; Todd O’Loughlin, Ian O’Reilly of the BBC World Affairs Unit; John Kealey, Des Gibson, Paul Sheridan and Michael O’Toole of The Star; Seán Curtain of Press 22, and my colleagues at the Sunday Times, particularly my editor Frank Fitzgibbon, John Burns and Liam Clarke.
There are others in An Garda Síochána, whom I consider friends but cannot individually name for confidentiality reasons, but their help, and above all friendship, is never forgotten and is much valued.
In this regard, I would also like to posthumously thank Kevin Stratford, an officer who tragically died
last year after an all too short battle with cancer. Kevin was very much an inspiration to anyone who had ever met him; he is still sadly missed by his family, friends and colleagues. I was privileged to have known him.
Thanks are also due to the staff at Maverick House Publishers; Adam Hyland, Gert Ackermann, Sarah Ormston and Pornchai Sereemongkonpol; those at Gill Hess, who ensured the project ran smoothly, and Gerry Kelly at ColourBooks Ltd, for moving mountains.
I would also to thank Claire Foley at William Fry Solicitors for her help in preparing the manuscript for publication.
Finally I would like to thank Jean Harrington for her time and effort in helping to write, edit and work on the manuscript. Without her help, this book would never have been published.
John Mooney
January 2007
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders of material reproduced in this text. In cases where these efforts have been unsuccessful, the copyright holders are asked to contact the publishers directly.
