Read The Torso in the Canal Online
Authors: John Mooney
Tags: #crime, #prison, #Ireland, #death, #Dublin, #violence, #Noor, #immigrant, #kill, #Scissor Sisters, #Kenyan, #Torso in the Canal, #life sentence, #dismemberment, #murder, #murderer, #immigration, #gardai, #killing, #sisters, #Linda Mulhall, #Torso, #ballybough bridge, #John Mooney, #royal canal, #forensic, #Farah Swaleh Noor, #croke park, #Mooney, #Kenya, #Charlotte Mulhall
The Torso in the Canal (15 page)
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
