Unusual phonecall pattern between two accused, tiger-raid trial told

A forensics expert has told the trial of two men accused of taking part in a €2.28m tiger raid that the pattern of telephone calls between two of the suspects was unusual in the run up to the robbery.

David Byrne (aged 39), of Old Brazeel Way, Knocksedan, Swords, Co Dublin and Niall Byrne (aged 29), of Crumlin Road Flats, Crumlin Rd, Dublin are alleged to have been members of a gang that held Mr Richardson, a Securicor worker, and his family hostage as part of a raid in March 2005.

Both men have pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning the Richardson family at Ashcroft, Raheny, north Dublin city on March 13 and 14, 2005.

They have also pleaded not guilty to robbing Paul Richardson and Securicor of €2,280,000 on the same date.

Mr Dominic McGinn, prosecuting put it to forensic scientist Samnantha Raincock, who is an expert in telecommunications, that from February 1 and March 7, 2005 there were no calls or texts between phones belonging to the accused Niall Byrne or his wife Jennifer Coleman and Jason Kavanagh, a suspect in the robbery.

He said that from March 8 to March 14 there was 36 texts or calls between Jason Kavanagh’s mobile and the two phones belonging to Mr Byrne and his wife.

Ms Raincock said: “Certainly there appears to be an anomaly here”.

The court heard that there were 15 instances of activity between the three phones between midnight and 8am on March 14, 2005, the morning of the robbery.

Ms Raincock said she couldn’t judge on the significance of the fact that of the nine phones allegedly used by the raiders, seven were not used after March 16, 2005.

She told Mr Feargal Kavanagh, defending Niall Byrne, that a mobile phone might not connect to the nearest mobile phone cell mast if the cells are not pointing in the user’s direction.

In cross examination she agreed with Mr McGinn that the physical telephone would have to be in the general coverage area of a cell for the signal to bounce off that cell mast.

Ms Raincock said that charts produced by the prosecution showing mobile phone traffic between phones belonging to Niall Byrne and his wife Jennifer Coleman and Jason Kavanagh, a suspect in the raid, included calls that were not necessarily answered.

She said that the records of phone activity provided to her suggested to her that some of the calls weren’t answered but agreed with Mr McGinn that she couldn’t categorically say if the call was answered or not.

Ms Raincock said she couldn’t comment on Mr McGinn’s suggestion that criminals could send a signal to each other simply to phoning each other’s phone and not answering.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of seven men and five women.