Two men who helped a criminal gang to murder Vinnie Ryan, a brother of slain Real IRA leader Alan Ryan, have asked a judge for mercy and to leave "light at the end of the tunnel" when handing down sentence.

A scientist matched dog hairs taken from a car seat cover found at a murder accused's home to a bulldog belonging to a man whose car was stolen five months before the murder, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Gardaí investigating the shooting of a man in Dublin took DNA and hair samples from two dogs belonging to a man whose car was stolen five months before the shooting, the Central Criminal Court has heard.