103 - A killing at Christmas: The murder of Maire Rankin

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2021

⏱️ 72 minutes

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Summary

On Christmas morning, 2008, 81 year old widow Maire Rankin was not answering the phone. Family members called around to her Newry home to check on her - not only had she been recently ill but it was totally out of character for her to not respond. When they arrived at the house on the Dublin Road, Maire was found dead on her bedroom floor. The house was a mess, and it appeared that Mrs Rankin had been subjected to a violent assault of a sexual nature. No one expected it when Maire's 42 year old neighbour was arrested. Not only was Karen Walsh a woman, she was a wealthy pharmacist who stayed in her second home in Newry on the weekends. What on earth had happened, and was the mother of one really responsible for the death of the elderly woman? ********** With thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Try the casual mobile puzzle game Best Fiends today! Find it on the Apple App store and Google Play! Check out the fastest VPN on the market at nordVPN.com/mensrea and use the code MENSREA for an awesome discount! Sign up for the best monthly wine club around, and get a free case of three wines for the cost of shipping at wine52.com/mens Check out the global leader in mens grooming and Get 20% Off + Free Shipping at Manscaped.com with the code MENS Sign up for professional online counselling at betterhelp.com/mens and get 10% off your first month! ********* Find us on Facebook or Twitter! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! Donate today to get access to bonus and ad-free episodes! Check out the Mens Rea Merch Store! ********* Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ********* Sources: R v Walsh [2015] NICA 46 R v Walsh [2011] NICC 30 (No 2) R v Walsh [2011] NICC 1 Gerry Moriarty, “Death in Newry treated as suspicious” in The Irish Times (27 December 2008) p 4 “Two questioned over death of Newry woman” in The Irish Times (29 December 2008) p. 4. “PSNI questioning of pair extended” in The Irish Times (31 December 2008) p. 4. “Financier's wife accused of Newry murder” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/financiers-wife-accused-of-newry-murder-28460142.html (5 January 2009) Victoria O'Hara, “Woman, 42, is charged with Maire murder” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/woman-42-is-charged-with-maire-murder-28459665.html (1 January 2009) “Hundreds attend funeral of murdered pensioner” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/hundreds-attend-funeral-of-murdered-pensioner-28460427.html (8 January 2009) “Murdered pensioner 'victim of sex attack'” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/murdered-pensioner-victim-of-sex-attack-28463968.html (27 January 2009) “Bail granted to pharmacist on murder charge” in The Irish Times (13 February 2009) p. 4. “Sex attack on pensioner 'a possible attempt to fool police'” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/sex-attack-on-pensioner-a-possible-attempt-to-fool-police-28466439.html (13 February 2009) “Killing suspect 'face switch' fear” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/killing-suspect-face-switch-fear-28483203.html (17 June 2009) “Murder accused had plans to buy bogus passport, court told” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/murder-accused-had-plans-to-buy-bogus-passport-court-told-28483390.html (18 June 2009) “File on pensioner's murder has been prepared, court told” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/file-on-pensioners-murder-has-been-prepared-court-told-28489741.html (6 August 2009) “Crucifix used in murder of Newry pensioner Maire Rankin, court hears” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/crucifix-used-in-murder-of-newry-pensioner-maire-rankin-court-hears-28515405.html (2 February 2010) 'Pharmacist faces trial for murder of Newry granny” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/pharmacist-faces-trial-for-murder-of-newry-granny-28535405.html (13 May 2010) “Pharmacist faces trial for OAP's murder” in The Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/pharmacist-faces-trial-for-oaps-murder-28657540.html (14 September 2011) for a full list of sources please see mensreapod.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the Men's Raya podcast, and this is the story of Moira Rankin.
0:30.0	Moira Rankin was an 81-year-old widow who lived on the Dublin Road in Neurie. She was a
0:45.9	mother to eight and a grandmother. She was described as a pillar of society, a bubbly woman who was very
0:52.4	independent and traditional, as well as a woman of habit. She had a standing appointment to have a
0:58.8	glass of sherry once a week with the woman who came to clean her house. Mrs. Rankin did have a
1:04.4	number of health concerns, though. Not only had Moira become frail, she suffered from chronic asthma
1:10.8	and this resulted in at least two chest infections per year. This is what had happened in December
1:17.5	of 2008. She was using a nebulizer and taking medication to help clear her chest and improve
1:24.8	her breathing. In the run-up to Christmas, her children had taken turns to stay in the house
1:29.8	overnight with her, in case she needed anything. Moira was to spend the holiday itself with her
1:35.9	daughter Brenda, who lived in another nearby town. The plan was initially that Moira would go to
1:42.2	Brenda's house on Christmas Eve. However, in the end, Moira decided that she wanted to stay home
1:48.2	that night. She was feeling much better, but she wanted to be in her own surroundings that night
1:53.5	as she continued to recover. Moira spoke to Brenda by phone just before 10 on Christmas Eve.
1:59.7	She was in good form, looking forward to the following day and assured her daughter that she was
2:04.9	all packed and ready to go. But when Christmas morning broke, Moira was not answering her phone.
2:11.6	This was incredibly unusual for the fastidious woman. Her family quickly began to get concerned.
2:18.3	Something was terribly wrong. And after all, the elderly pensioner was recovering from an illness
2:24.9	and was not as mobile as she once had been. Moira's brother-in-law called to the house just after
2:31.9	10 o'clock that morning, entering her locked house with his set of keys when Moira failed to answer
2:37.7	his knocks. And he found Moira upstairs lying naked on her bedroom floor. Nearby were the remnants
2:45.6	of a crucifix. It had been on the wall, a wedding present that hung over her bed, but it was now
	...

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