127 - An Unusual Defence: Layla Brennan

Mens Rea: A true crime podcast

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Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2023

⏱️ 39 minutes

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Summary

In March of 1999, Phillip Colgan and his wife Mary walked into Rathfarnham Garda Station and with a story to tell. It would be his first of many., and it would be up to a jury to decide which was true - and who killed Layla Brennan. This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin. ******** 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: Missing, Presumed, book by Alan Bailey. Tomas MacRuairi, “Chef jailed for eight years after knifepoint rape of widow”, Irish Press, June 20th 1992. “Elderly woman subjected to degrading ordeal”, Irish Examiner, June 30th 1992. Frank Courell, “Chef gets 8 years for vicious rape of widow”, Irish Independent, June 30th 1992. “Man, 26, charged with Dublin Mountain murder”, Sunday Independent, March 7th 1999. “Gardai appeal for help”, Evening Echo, March 6th 1999. Sean McCarthaigh, “Man charged with woman’s murder”, Irish Examiner, March 8th 1999. “Victim remembered as caring woman”, The Echo, March 11th 1999. Yvonne Kinsella, “Grief as tragic victim is buried”, The Echo, March 11th 1999. “Brennan murder accused appears in District Court”, April 6th 1999. John Lee, “Victim’s family tell neighbours ‘thanks’”, The Echo, May 13th 1999. “Prostitute’s body dumped in ditch after money row”, Evening Herald, October 24th 2000. Suzanne Mac Manus, “Wife of murder suspect says he told her he strangled prostitute”, Irish Examiner, October 25th 2000. Suzanne Mac Manus, “Husband told me about killing prostitute”, Irish Independent, October 25th 2000. Suzanne Mac Manus, “Gay link to girl’s death”, Evening Herald, October 25th 2000. For a full list of sources, 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 Layla Brennan.
0:30.0	On the morning of Friday, March 5, 1999, a man and a woman walked into Rathwarnam Garda
0:46.9	station.
0:48.2	The man approached the desk and told the station orderly on duty that he wanted to speak
0:53.0	to a detective.
0:54.7	When asked what the nature of his inquiry was, the man told the astonished young Garda that
0:59.6	he had killed a woman a few days earlier.
1:02.7	The man was 26-year-old Philip Colgan, and the woman accompanying him was his wife Mary.
1:08.8	They were quickly ushered into a waiting room where they were joined by two detectives.
1:13.6	Colgan calmly told officers that he had killed a young woman, describing where he had
1:18.4	disposed of the body, the murder weapon, and the victim's clothes.
1:23.1	Throughout his statement, his wife sat beside him, encouraging him to tell the truth.
1:29.0	It was an unusual situation for Gardae.
1:31.9	Here was Colgan admitting to murder, yes, as far as they knew, no crime had been reported.
1:37.5	However, they took his claims seriously, and as he spoke to the detectives, a number
1:42.3	of Gardae were directed to the secluded area of Woodland in Kileki, County Dublin, where
1:47.6	Colgan was claiming to have disposed of his victim.
1:51.4	Less than half an hour later, the officers radioed back to the station to say that they
1:55.4	had uncovered the naked body of a woman, who appeared to have horrific head injuries.
2:01.9	Colgan was arrested and held in Rutherfordham Garda station as a full murder investigation
2:06.9	was launched, and Gardae found themselves in the peculiar situation where they had a
2:11.4	perpetrator and a victim, but they had no idea as to who she was.
	...

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