Murder victim's brother saw accused near scene, court told

The brother of a Limerick man who was shot dead near his home has told a jury he saw the man accused of his murder standing close to the scene shortly before the shooting.

David Grant was giving evidence at the trial of Greg Crawford (aged 24), who is accused of murdering father of three Gareth Brosnan-Grant (aged 25) at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, on October 8, 2007.

Mr Crawford, of St Munchin’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, denies the charge.

Gareth Brosnan-Grant was taken to Limerick Regional Hospital on the evening in question after suffering a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at 10.48pm.

On the opening day of Mr Crawford’s trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, David Grant told the jury he had visited his younger brother at his home on St Ita’s Street on the evening of the killing. He said he had become a father a few days previously and that Gareth had congratulated him and told him he planned to visit the baby the following day.

Questioned by Mr Thomas Creed SC for the prosecution, David Grant said he left Gareth’s house at approximately 9.55pm to deliver some apples to his father’s home a short distance away on St Munchin’s Street.

He told the court: “I was just getting into my car, everything was grand, and I noticed Greg Crawford. He would’ve been at the corner junction of St Ita’s and St Colmcille’s Street and that would have been across the road. I could see him clearly. That’s what actually stood out when I was getting into the car, I could see him”.

David Grant said he was familiar with Greg Crawford and noted he was wearing a coloured top.

He added: “I don’t know if there was anybody with him but I did notice just down from him there was somebody kind of slumped over the wall”.

He said he drove to his father’s house on St Munchin’s Street and delivered the food before beginning his return journey.

He told the jury of six men and six women that he was driving along St Brendan’s Street back towards St Ita’s Street when he met a boy who told him Gareth had been shot. Gardaí had arrived at St Ita’s Street by the time he got there.

Earlier, Mr Creed SC told the jury it will also hear evidence from Mr Brosnan-Grant’s partner Claire Ronan who will say she ran out of her house and up the street after hearing a gun shot. She will say she saw a man she recognised as Greg “Squid” Crawford pointing a gun towards Gareth’s head.

Mr Creed said the jury will also hear evidence from a detective garda who came on the scene shortly after the shooting and then headed to Mr Crawford’s parents’ house on nearby St Munchin’s Street.

He said the detective will recount how Greg Crawford was arrested and brought to the garda station where blood samples and mouth swabs were taken for DNA testing.

Mr Creed said the evidence will show that DNA found on a glove wrapped around a handgun which was found at the back of Mr Crawford’s grandparents’ house matched the DNA of Greg Crawford.

He also said ballistics evidence will show that the bullet taken from the body of Gareth Brosnan-Grant matched the bullets found in the gun.

The trial before Mr Justice Paul Carney continues on Monday.