THE TRIAL of a man charged in connection with the possession of €145,000 worth of heroin at Castle Park Estate, Ballygrennan on the Limerick/ Clare border has heard that his DNA evidence was found on a mobile phone, discovered at the scene. In continuation of the trial of John McCarthy, the court heard a forensic expert detail his analysis of a phone found at the scene by gardai.
Stephen Clifford, a garda forensic scientist, said in his direct evidence to the jury that the DNA evidence of the accused man was found on a black Nokia mobile phone, found by gardai at Castlepark Estate, Ballygrennan on October 15, 2010.
The DNA profiling expert said he carried out tests and lifts on the keypad and cover of the phone as well as the battery and that the evidence of John McCarthy was profiled. He said there was a one in 1,000 million chance of the DNA evidence matching that of someone else.
The phone, the court heard, was found at what gardai described as a bagging operation at the derelict manor house where the accused is alleged to have fled once gardai swooped on the area.
Bryan McCarthy QC, Defence for the accused, asked if any DNA profiling was ascertained from the simcard and it was confirmed that these tests were inconclusive. Under cross-examination, the expert garda witness said that he could not determine where exactly the DNA evidence of McCarthy was found, whether it was from the keypad cover of the battery.
Questions as to why independent tests were not carried out on each part went unexplained by the garda expert.
However, a dark coloured hoody that was also found at the scene was tested by the DNA profiling expert and that revealed the presence of DNA evidence of Adam Llewelyn – a man who was also arrested at the scene.
Two gardai had earlier identified the accused John McCarthy as being one of the three men to be at the scene in Castlepark Estate wearing the hoody.
In court, the accused was given the hoody to try on and managed to get it over his head only to stop and say; “Nah, I can’t get into that”.
Evidence then continued to the end of last week where transcripts of interviews conducted with John McCarthy were read to the jury.
McCarthy repeatedly denied the allegation that he was involved in the operation where €145,000 was uncovered at Castlepark Estate near Ballygrennan.
The accused denied any knowledge of the drugs when he was arrested at his home on the same day that two other men were arrested at the scene, from which McCarthy is alleged to have run from.
Mr McCarthy said that he was tending to horses in a field at the time of the incident.
Photographic evidence of cuts and scrapes to the head, hands and arms of the accused were produced in court and the gardai allege that these occurred when McCarthy was fleeing the scene through a wooded hedgerow area near the four walls. However, Mr McCarthy said that he received them while scrapping with his son and daughter.
Under cross examination, CCTV footage produced, which gave an account of the movements of the accused was agreed with by Det Garda, Pat Whelan.
The trial is now in its third week and is expected to conclude this week.
