The prosecuting barrister in the Tipperary murder trial claims Patrick Quirke continued to pursue Mary Lowry in the hope of returning to the life they shared before Bobby Ryan came into the picture.

Mr Quirke, a 50-year-old farmer from Breanshamore, County Tipperary, denies murdering the local DJ sometime between June 3rd 2011 and April 30th 2013.

Prosecuting barrister Michael Bowman resumed his closing speech to the jurors today by going through all the medical evidence, before moving on to Patrick Quirke’s engagement with Gardaí.

He said a recurring theme in his initial voluntary statements after Bobby went missing was that he wanted to remain friends with Mary Lowry.

He then pointed to a statement he gave after finding Bobby’s remains on her land in April 2013 and accused him of engaging in a narrative in terms of what he wanted to say about his ex-lover.

He reminded them of the indentations found on a note taken from his home that read: “what the guards know” and “dispose of clothes/phone/any other evidence”

He asked is it a coincidence that he has a template with answers and material he wants to tell Gardaí?

He said there was an “uncanny resemblance” between that note and what he wanted to communicate.

He also questioned his account of his movements on the day Bobby went missing – June 3rd 2011.

Reporting from Frank Greaney at the Central Criminal Court