It has not been determined whether a pensioner was dead when he was allegedly thrown off the Sliabh Liag cliffs in Donegal, the trial of a man and a woman accused of his murder has heard.
Bernard Condon SC opened the trial on Friday of Nikita Burns (22) and Alan Vial (39) who deny the murder of Robert ‘Robin’ Wilkin (66) on June 25 2023 in Donegal.
Mr Condon said the prosecution case is that the two accused caused Mr Wilkin’s death having engaged in a joint enterprise with the intention to cause serious injury to the deceased.
While the statement of one accused person cannot be used as evidence against the other, Mr Condon said in this case the jury will hear that each of the accused said that the other “did it”.
Burns of Carrick, Co Donegal has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of another person for an arrestable offence. The prosecution has not accepted the plea.
Vial, of Drumanoo Head, Killybegs, Co Donegal, pleaded not guilty.
Mr Condon said Mr Wilkin was originally from Tyrone but had been transient with no fixed abode for some time.
He said it is alleged that Mr Wilkin was assaulted in an area known as Roshine before being driven to Sliabh Liag.
Whether he was dead when he was put over the cliffs is undetermined, counsel said, adding: “But you can be fairly sure he didn’t choose to go over the cliffs himself.”
Counsel described Sliabh Liag as “some of the most magnificent cliffs in Europe”, three times higher than the Cliffs of Moher.
A central part of the prosecution case is CCTV footage which Mr Condon said shows the movements of the two accused with Mr Wilkin in a Volkswagen Passat on the night of June 24 and into the early hours of the following day.