Killer Mark Costigan has been released from prison to attend a course after failing a drugs test

The Sunday World has learned that a random drugs test carried out on Costigan earlier this week returned a positive result for banned substances.

Opioids are a class of drugs that includes synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone, codeine, morphine, and heroin.

Sources said Costigan’s planned day stay to attend an educational course at an outside facility was immediately cancelled.

It is understood the gunman was removed from Mountjoy’s Progressive Unit and placed back in the main prison.

“This is a serious setback for him in terms of regaining his freedom,” a source told Sunday World.

“This puts him back on track with his rehabilitation.”

Costigan is serving a life sentence for the gruesome murder of Kilkenny woman Christine Quinn.

He was convicted of murder at her home in Kilkenny City in 2002.

He never confessed to the murder or apologized to the victim’s family.

The 36-year-old was stabbed 35 times by Costigan and suffered 69 stab wounds.

Costigan, who never admitted the murder or apologised to the victim’s family, set fire to a house in Greenfields, Kilkenny, three times in an attempt to destroy evidence.

In 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.

In February 2023, the Parole Board refused parole, stating that “the board is concerned that Mark Costigan would pose an unreasonable risk to the community if he were released on parole at this stage” and said Costigan would not be eligible for a review for two years.

However, in recent weeks, Christine Quinn’s sons, Ronan and Jason Quinn, were informed by the Irish Prison Service’s Victim Liaison Service that Costigan had been granted temporary day release for two days a week to attend an educational course under the supervision of a probation officer.

Speaking to the Irish Sun earlier this week, Christine’s son Ronan said: “It’s absolutely madness that this man is walking the streets of Dublin. The whole point of prison is to rehabilitate people but this prisoner has never shown any remorse for murdering my mother.

“How can someone make such concessions when they continue to deny the murder of their mother in her own home?

“We were told he was a danger to society, yet he was released from prison two days a week with only his probation officer as his guardian.

“I would have great concerns for members of the public because we are dealing with a convicted murderer — not some pretty criminal. My mother was a victim of gender violence, but the state failed her.

Jason added: “I have family in Dublin and we shouldn’t be exposing ourselves to the killer of our mother.

“He can live his life, but my daughters only know a tombstone in the cemetery, like grandma…

“One minute they tell us he’s a danger to the community, and the next minute he can be released from prison under the supervision of a probation officer.

“We want to know why a pre-release course is being offered when he has not yet been granted parole? It seems to me that this is on the assumption that he will be released soon when his next parole review is in February 2025.”

Costigan, of Aylesbury, Kilkenny, who was just 16 at the time of the murder, denied killing mother-of-two Christine Quinn at her home in nearby Greenfields Road on December 5, 2002.

The killer regularly visited Mrs Quinn’s home – the families knew each other and the accused was friends with Mrs Quinn’s younger son.

Mrs Quinn’s other son, Jason, a private, discovered his mother’s body in the smoke-filled kitchen when returning from the barracks at 4:45 one December afternoon.

She had been stabbed 35 times, with 69 knife wounds visible on her fire-ravaged body and a blade remaining in her scalp.

The attacker tried to set the house on fire.

During Costigan’s three-week trial, the court heard that between 1.50pm and 4.45pm on Thursday afternoon, an intruder entered the victim’s home and fatally stabbed him.

Traces of a struggle were found in the kitchen and hallway, and three separate fires were lit in the house before the attacker left.

State pathologist Marie Cassidy said the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the torso, particularly the lungs, liver and heart, including the aorta.

“It is clear that she resisted,” Dr Cassidy said, pointing out that the injuries to Ms Quinn’s hand were consistent with those sustained in defence.

A forensic specialist said blood was found on the mountain matching the DNA profile of Mark Costigan.

Blood on a bedroom door handle, duvet cover, football shirt, radiator and stair railing was used for comparison.

Alexander Owens, SC, for the prosecution, said the only credible inference was that while killing Ms Quinn the defendant broke the knife, the blade of which was found in her skull, and injured himself.

The victim’s younger son, Ronan, gave evidence to the court via video link.

He stated that he had known Costigan all his life and that in the summer of 2001 he had been on a very friendly relationship with him.

The friends fell out in September when accusations emerged that Costigan may have been partly responsible for the disappearance of Ms Quinn’s mobile phone.

On the afternoon of the murder, Costigan arrived at Gamesworld, a 25-minute walk from the Quinn home.

CCTV footage shows his right hand was hidden, his hoodie was covered in blood and he had paid for a bloody £50 note to buy a PlayStation game.

One of the few things missing from the Quinn home after the murder was a PlayStation 2.

Contacted this week, a spokesman for the Irish Prison Service declined to comment.

“The Irish Prison Service does not comment on the cases of individual prisoners,” a spokesman said.