Man, 38, charged with murder of man found in water near Slieve League
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A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man whose body was found floating in waters off Slieve League cliffs in Co Donegal.
Alan Vial appeared before Judge Éiteáin Cunningham at a special sitting of Ballyshannon Court on Friday.
The 38-year-old had been arrested by gardaí at an address in Letterkenny.
He had been questioned throughout Thursday before being taken the short distance from Ballyshannon Garda Station to Ballyshannon Courthouse.
Mr Vial, of Drumanoo Head, Killybegs, was charged that on June 25, 2023, at a place unknown within the State, did murder Robert Wilkin, also known as Robin Wilkin.
The charge was contrary to Common Law and as provided for by Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1964.
Dressed in a striped T-shirt and dark tracksuit bottoms, the accused did not speak during the short hearing.
Members of his family were also in court.
Detective Garda Ciaran O'Brien of Ballyshannon Garda Station gave evidence of arrest, charge, and caution.
He told the court how after being charged, the accused made no reply.
Mr Vial's solicitor, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said that because the nature of the charge, there was no application for bail.
He asked that the case be adjourned back to Letterkenny District Court by videolink on Monday next, July 17, for the service of a book of evidence.
He said he appreciated that a book of evidence was unlikely to be ready due to time constraints.
He also asked for the accused to receive all required medical treatment including an updated prescription for a medical condition while in custody.
Garda Superintendent Karen Duffy agreed to all matters including having the case referred back to Letterkenny District Court.
Judge Cunningham adjourned the case and agreed to all requests by Mr Gallagher.
Mr Vial had been previously arrested along with a woman in her 20s on Monday, June 26, on suspicion of a serious assault.
It followed information received by gardaí which led to a large-scale search of the popular tourist destination at Slieve League.
Despite being questioned for two days, the pair were released without charge.
Following an extensive search involving gardaí, the Irish Coastguard including Rescue 118 and the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team, a body was recovered in the water off the cliffs on July 3.
The body was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital where a full post-mortem was carried out by the State Pathologist's Office.
The findings of that have not been released for Garda operational reasons.
The victim, Mr Wilkin, was aged in his mid-60s and from Northern Ireland.