A man accused of murdering 66-year-old Robert “Robin” Wilkin is a “cynical liar” who is attempting to make fools of a jury, a prosecution barrister has said.
Mr Wilkin’s head was beaten in with a rock before his body was “unceremoniously deposited into the Atlantic Ocean” at Ireland’s tallest cliffs, said Bernard Condon, senior counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Mr Condon SC said Alan Vial (39) heaped “lies upon lies” during 20 hours of Garda interviews. At the Central Criminal Court he attempted to “pull the wool over your eyes, to make fools of you” by claiming his co-accused, Nikita Burns (23), delivered the fatal blows, Mr Condon said.
The lawyer said Mr Vial is a “devious, calculated, cynical liar” who, after his lies to gardaí were exposed, manufactured a story to fit with the book of evidence.
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Mr Condon said the prosecution alleges Mr Vial and Ms Burns acted together with the joint intention of causing serious harm to Mr Wilkin. All three were drinking together in pubs in Dunkineely, Co Donegal, before they headed towards Mr Vial’s home.
Mr Wilkin was driving the vehicle, which pulled over in an area known as Roshine and was not seen by CCTV for about 15 minutes. Mr Condon said this is where Mr Wilkin was beaten with a rock before being driven to Sliabh Liag and put over the cliff “alive or dead”.
The evidence against Ms Burns is the “clearest possible case of murder” because of words that came from her own mouth, counsel said.
Mr Condon reminded the jury that two witnesses gave uncontested evidence of hearing Ms Burns admit to using a rock to “batter” a man’s face. A third witness had made a recording of Ms Burns describing how she used a rock during a fight and saying “we threw him” off Sliabh Liag.
Mr Condon said the recording made clear Ms Burns showed no remorse and did not think she would be caught.
Her accounts were “completely voluntary” and contradicted her later claim to gardaí that she did not move from the passenger seat of the car while the assault on Mr Wilkin occurred, Mr Condon said.
The prosecution’s case against both is supported by DNA, CCTV, blood spatter analysis and the self-serving lies told by each of the accused, he said.
Mr Condon reminded the jury that Mr Vial and Ms Burns twice returned to Sliabh Liag in the hours that followed to check if anyone had seen the body.
“That’s the level of extraordinary lack of morality that you are dealing with,” Mr Condon said. Rather than give thought to another human being, they had returned “to make sure it was done, that they would get away with it”, he said.
Mr Condon said Mr Vial and Ms Burns were both involved in the killing and in putting Mr Wilkin over the cliffs.
Mr Vial (39) of Drumanoo Head, Killybegs, Co Donegal and Ms Burns (23) of Carrick, Co Donegal, have both pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Wilkin in Donegal on June 25th, 2023.
Barristers for Mr Vial and Ms Burns will deliver their closing speeches on Wednesday before Mr Justice Paul McDermott delivers his charge to the jury of seven women and five men.
