Three days before a pensioner was allegedly beaten with a rock and thrown off Ireland’s highest cliffs, he had an aggressive altercation with the man accused of his murder, the defendant’s brother has told the Central Criminal Court.
Bruce Vial, the brother of the accused man Alan Vial (39), also told the court on Wednesday that, after the alleged murder, the defendant borrowed a vacuum to clean his car and when it was returned, it was “full of gunk” which the witness assumed was “red wine vomit”.
The witness told the trial that Alan Vial called to his home with his co-accused Nikita Burns (23) and the now deceased man Robert ‘Robin’ Wilkin (66) on June 22nd, 2023. All three were living at Alan Vial’s home but they had no plumbing so they came to Bruce Vial’s house to use the shower and clean their clothes.
While they were there, the witness recalled “a bit of an altercation” between Alan and Mr Wilkin.
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‘My sister’s boyfriend never left us alone at Christmas. Should I confront her?’
“They were aggressive towards each other, shouting at each other,” he said.
Following the altercation, Mr Wilkin drove away after taking Mr Vial and Ms Burns’s belongings out of the car in which the three of them had arrived. The following Sunday afternoon, after the prosecution alleges Mr Wilkin had been beaten and thrown off a cliff at Sliabh Liag, Alan Vial and Ms Burns again called to Bruce Vial’s home.
The witness said Alan wanted to clean his car and took a multipurpose cleaning spray, Formula 1 plastic spray and two cloths from Mr Vial’s utility room. Alan Vial also used his brother’s vacuum cleaner but when he returned it, it was “full of gunk” which Bruce Vial assumed was “red wine vomit”.
Mr Vial and Ms Burns left, having told the witness that they were going to Letterkenny. Later that day, gardaí arrived and took the vacuum cleaner away.
Michael Molloy told prosecution counsel Bernard Condon that he is a ranger at Sliabh Liag and operates the gate at the lower car park, about two kilometres from the viewing point at the top of the cliff. On June 25th, after the prosecution alleges Mr Wilkin had been thrown over the cliff, Mr Molloy recalled a car driving up with a male driver and female passenger.
They asked to be allowed to pass the barrier at the car park and drive closer to the top of the cliff. Mr Molloy said he would normally say no, but allowed them to go up after the man told him that he needed to collect someone from the top who could not walk.
About 20 minutes later, the car returned and Mr Molloy noted that the man and woman were still in the car but they did not have a new passenger.
The jury spent the afternoon watching CCTV of the alleged movements of Ms Burns and Mr Vial on the night of the alleged murder.
Ms Burns (23) of Carrick, Co Donegal and Alan Vial (39) of Drumanoo Head, Killybegs, Co Donegal have pleaded not guilty to the murder of 66-year-old Robert ‘Robin’ Wilkin on June 25th, 2023 in Donegal.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.
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