Graffiti of accused's name in park, court hears

Graffiti at the scene of the rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman in a park in Co Cork proclaimed that the youth now accused of the crime "loved forever" his teenage girlfriend, a trial has heard.

The accused, who is now 18, has pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder of Ms Rachel Kiely (aged 22) at the Regional Park, Ballincollig, Co Cork on October 26, 2000. He cannot be named for legal reasons.

The Central Criminal Court jury has heard that DNA samples taken from him matched DNA in semen samples recovered from the person of Ms Kiely.

Today, defence lawyer Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC ended four days of cross-examination of Dr Maureen Smyth of the Forensic Science Laboratory. Her evidence linked the DNA profile of the accused to DNA recovered from the person of the deceased.

As the prosecution case continued, Detective Sergeant Denis Cahill told Mr PJ McCarthy SC that he was familiar with initials that appeared in graffiti at the scene of the crime.

The initials of the accused and his then teenage girlfriend appeared in the form 'X loves Y forever', with the accused's initials first.

Separate graffiti in a doorway at the back of the building ruin where the body was found showed the accused's nickname and the name of his then girlfriend.

Det Sgt Cahill said he confirmed the initials when he spoke to "the lady who was the girlfriend of the accused at the time."

The trial continues next week before Mr Justice Paul Butler and the jury.