A jury in the trial of a 23 year-old man accused of murder has heard that a senior investigating garda was "stretching" when he told a central witness during questioning that he could be placed at the scene of the alleged murder.

Defence lawyers for a man on trial for murder, assault and hijack, have argued that the prosecution's main witness has lied in his statements to gardai and in his evidence to the court.

A senior Garda has told a murder trial that the main witness in the case, who told gardaí of an alleged “confession” the accused man made to him, may have been under the impression that he was suspected of involvement.

A Garda forensic expert has told the trial of a man accused of murder, assault and hijacking, that he found a meat cleavers in a burnt out car which was allegedly involved in the events.

The main witness in the case of a man on trial for murder, hijacking and assault has told the jury that he broke his silence on the events, because he wanted the victim's family to “know what he knew”.

The central witness and friend of a man on trial for murder has denied that he himself was present at the alleged murder scene, and that he fabricated a story for the Gardaí to get himself out of trouble.

The Central Criminal Court has heard evidence about a conversation during which a man on trial for murder told his friend that he was out hijacking cars when he “knocked down” a man.

The Central Criminal Court has heard evidence of a series of attempted hijackings and a serious assault in Dundalk town, in the minutes leading up to the alleged murder of Aidan Myers in 2006.

Witnesses in the case of a man on trial for murder, assault and hijacking have described how they saw a man driving a car repeatedly up and down their street, ram it into a parked car and reverse it at speed towards people.

Two people being questioned by gardaí over the murder of a man in an attempted carjacking were tonight released from custody.

Gardaí in Co Louth have arrested two people in connection with the murder of Aidan Myers near Dundalk.

A further three people have been arrested over the murder of a man in an attempted car-jacking, gardai confirmed today.

Gardaí in Co Louth have released three of the eight people arrested yesterday in connection with the murder of Aidan Myers in Dundalk last year.

Gardaí in Co Louth have arrested eight people in connection with the murder of a 37-year-old man in Dundalk almost a year ago.

AFTER a vicious gun crime spate that has seen five people murdered in six days, Tánaiste and Justice Minister Michael McDowell yesterday vowed that he would make sure that the country’s tough bail laws were fully implemented.

Every arm of the State must pull together to ensure the rule of law prevails against spiralling gun crime, the Minister for Justice said today.