Donegal pair sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at Sliabh Liag

A Donegal man and a woman have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a man at Sliabh Liag.

Alan Vial (39), from Drumanoo Head, Killybegs and Nikita Burns (23), of Carrick, had pleaded not guilty to Mr Wilkin's murder in Donegal on June 25, 2023. A jury found each guilty of murder by majority, ten to two, verdicts yesterday following a two-month trial.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott offered his condolences to the family of Mr Wilkin before imposing the mandatory life sentences in respect of each defendant. Vial's sentence was backdated to July 14, 2023 when he first went into custody. Burns' sentence was backdated to August 29, 2023.

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The trial heard that Mr Wilkin suffered severe head injuries after being struck multiple times with a rock at an area known as Roshin, near Killybegs. His killers then drove to Sliabh Liag where they put him over the cliffs and disposed of his neck chain, watch and other personal items.

Vial and Burns blamed one another for the fatal assault, but the jury accepted the prosecution case that they had, in fact, been involved in a joint enterprise to cause serious injury to Mr Wilkin and are both guilty of murder