Phone records not consistent with story

A TELECOMS expert has told the Central Criminal Court certain mobile phone records were not consistent with accounts Joe O’Reilly gave to gardaí about his movements on the day of his wife’s murder.

Oliver Farrell, an electronics engineer who acted as consultant for mobile phone operator 02, said such records gave a “different picture” about O’Reilly’s claims that he had been in Broadstone bus depot in Dublin’s north inner city between 9am and 11.30am on October 4, 2004.

O’Reilly has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife Rachel at their family home on that date.

Mr Farrell said an examination of the phone records for a handset belonging to O’Reilly had shown the phone had made a journey north out of the city, past Dublin Airport towards Balbriggan and back again towards the city between 8.46am and 10.08am.

Two communications from O’Reilly’s phone at 9.25am and 9.52am placed it near a mast at Murphy’s Quarry in north Dublin.

The mast is located a short distance from the family home at Lambay View, Baldarragh, The Naul, Co Dublin, where Rachel was murdered.

Mr Farrell, a director of mobile phone consultancy firm Vilicom, explained to the jury that mobile phone handsets generally pick up a signal from the nearest telephone mast.

He pointed out that most masts or antennae have three cells to ensure the transmitter provides coverage for a full 360-degree circle. It means that experts can also pinpoint in which direction a handset is located from the signal.

Under questioning by prosecution barrister Dominic McGinn, Mr Farrell admitted phone records will only show the initial signal from which a handset sends or receives a text or message.

For example, a phone call lasting several hours in which a caller was on a long journey would only record the original signal to pick up the communication.

Mr Farrell said an examination of phone records for O’Reilly’s handset earlier that morning were consistent with the account of his movements.

They showed a call was made from the handset at 5.25am just north of Swords. Several minutes later, a call was logged at 5.34am at Finglas followed by another call at 5.45am from a different part of Finglas.

Other communications were recorded placing the phone near Nangor Road, Clondalkin, at 7.35am and at Chapelizod at 8.12am.

Earlier yesterday, the court heard O’Reilly had told gardaí he had left his home on October 4, 2004, at about 5.20am to go to a gym at Park West on Nangor Road, before going into his office at Bluebell Industrial Estate off the Naas Road and leaving again at 8.20am.

Mr Farrell which placing the accused’s handset on the North Circular Road at 10.38am, at Dominic Street at 11.05am and near Chapelizod at 11.32am were broadly consistent with O’Reilly’s claims that he had returned from Broadstone to his offices at Bluebell during this period.

The witness is due to resume his evidence this morning before a jury of nine men and two women.