NEWS
Elder (53) cleared of sex abuse
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24 2009
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CHURCH elder thanked God yesterday when acquitted of sex abuse by a jury who convicted his cousin and fellow church elder of indecently assaulting the same 44-year-old woman when she was a child. The Antrim Crown Court jury of six men and six women took just over three hours to unanimously acquit 53-year-old church elder John McElheran from Ballinlea Road, Stranocum, of the four charges of indecent assault he denied. “I’m very, very relieved,” Mr McElheran of Ballycastle Gospel Hall, Co Antrim, said. “The Lord is my shepherd”. However, the jury did convict Mr McElheran’s 66-year-old cousin John William McConaghy, a church elder known as Jack, from Urbal Road, Dervock, of all but one of 21 charges of indecently assaulting the mother-of-one when she was a P7 schoolgirl up until the age of 18 when she rebelled against his abuse. Wheel-chair bound Mr McConaghy, who was put on the Sex Offenders’ Register, was told that he will be sentenced at the end of next month after a pre-sentence report on him and an impact report on his victim are obtained.
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NEIGHBOUR of Jean Quigley told a court yesterday that she heard wailing coming from the woman’s house on the morning she died. Shauna Mellon said the wailing in Ms Quigley’s Derry home lasted for about 10 minutes. The mother-of-four died at her home in Cornshell Fields in Derry on July 26 2008. A postmortem examination found that the 30-year-old had been beaten and strangled. Father-of-one Stephen Cahoon (37) of Harvey Street, Derry admits killing the mother of his unborn child that day in her home. However, Mr Cahoon has pleaded not guilty to Ms Quigley’s murder. Cahoon is making legal history as the first person to face a jury in the Republic for non-terrorist related offences in Northern Ireland. He opted to have his trial in the Republic after being arrested in Donegal. Ms Mellon explained how she had to check on her sick daughter every two hours at the time and set alarms for 1am, 3am and 5am. She said it was dark when she heard the wailing so it must have been 3am or 5am. “It was a very still, warm evening. I had my kitchen window open. It was very quiet,” she said. “It was a very disturbing noise. “The only way I can describe it was if you told someone that someone had died suddenly and they wail.
Wailing heard on night of woman’s death court told
He ran upstairs when he heard Ms McBride in a distraught state. “The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room was Jean’s leg hanging out of the bed,” he said, adding that her body was partially cov-
“The only way I can describe it was if you told someone that someone had died suddenly and they wail. That wailing sound someone makes when very distressed or upset”
Shauna Mellon
■ MURDER: Stephen Cahoon, left, admits killing mother-of-four Jean Quigley, right
“That wailing sound someone makes when very distressed or upset.” Ms Mellon, who did not know Ms Quigley, was certain that it was a female voice but said she also heard a male voice. “I couldn’t make out what he was saying,” she said. “He didn’t appear to be roaring or mad but a very stern, loud voice is what I heard.” She said the wailing started about a minute after she entered her kitchen and was continuing when she left 10
minutes later. Peter Barr, the partner of Ms Quigley’s sister, Ann Marie, said he found parcel tape beside her body that evening. Mr Barr said that he drove Ms Quigley’s mother, Emma McBride, to the victim’s house after her family failed to contact her throughout the day. He said Ms McBride unlocked the door and went upstairs calling her daughter’s name while he checked downstairs.
ered by a quilt and her head was towards the bottom of the bed. He checked for a pulse but it was apparent she was dead, he said. As he was ringing the police from the landing, he noticed a length of brown parcel tape on the floor beside the bed. “I picked the tape up,” he said. “Then I thought to myself what it might have been used for and put it back down.” He explained that he had seen bruising on her wrists. Mr Barr also saw a knife on a chest of drawers. The trial continues.
Crystal glove takes centre stage at Jackson auction
By Sarah Stack PA
ICHAEL Jackson’s white glove will take centre stage in the Republic today as some of the pop legend’s most famous belongings go on display. The King of Pop, who died suddenly in June, wore the crystal-studded glove when he performed the Moonwalk for the first time on television 26 years ago. It is expected to fetch half a million dollars (£305,000) when sold by Julien’s Auctions at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York next month. The piece is the highlight of an exhibition at Newbridge Silverware Museum of Style Icons in Co Kildare. Memorabilia from Madonna, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain will also be showcased. Phil Donnelly, of Newbridge Silverware, said the more than 50 items owned by Jackson had been shipped to Ireland for the Once in a Lifetime Exhibition, which runs until November 5. “This will also be a tribute to him and will give us the opportunity to pay our respects,” Mr Donnelly said. “These pieces are particularly poignant because they were gifted to family and friends by Michael and they gave them to the auction that will raise money for charity. “Thousands came before to see some of Michael’s most iconic items and we
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■ IF THE GLOVE FITS: Yomiko Chen wearing Jackson’s Swarovski crystal-studded glove. It is expected to fetch half a million dollars (£305,000) when sold
■ ICONIC AUCTION: Yomiko Chen models Michael Jackson’s black Fedora hat, a Swarovski crystal studded glove and his Moonwalker jacket during a preview at Newbridge Silverware in Co Kildare ahead of the belongings being auctioned at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York next month PICTURES: Niall Carson/PA
are already getting lots of emails and phone calls. “The reaction has been phenomenal.” The left-handed glove, worn at a 1983 performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 television special, was given to Jackson’s friend Walter Clyde Orange, who was one of the founding members of the Commodores. The uncut version of the Thriller
video, zombie costumes, a fedora hat, a Bad jacket signed by the pop legend and a letter from Lisa Marie Presley are among the items on show in Newbridge. About 40,000 fans from all over the world visited the venue during the world exclusive preview of Jackson’s iconic stage costumes earlier this year.