Fingerprints on note matched defendant's, Court hears

Fingerprints belonging to one of seven men on trial for membership of the Continuity IRA were found on a note seized during a suspected meeting of dissident republicans, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Detective Garda David Sheridan, fingerprint section, told the court that he examined prints taken from the accused Pat O'Shea and compared then to marks found on a handwritten note.

The court has heard that the note was recovered when a large party of gardaí raided the house in the Shanabooley Road area of Limerick in December 2001.

Today Detective Garda Sheridan said he examined a set of prints taken from Mr O'Shea and found that the left middle finger and partial palm print matched marks found on the top corner of the handwritten note.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Kelly gave evidence earlier in the trial that in his opinion, each of the seven accused was a member of an unlawful organisation on December 17 2001.

The state's case is that the unlawful organisation in question is the Continuity IRA.

Each of the seven accused have pleaded not guilty to a charge that on December 17, 2001, within the State, they were members of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann.

They are Des Long, aged 62, Vice President of Republican Sinn Fein, of Shannon Banks, Limerick, Patrick Kenneally, aged 58, of Crusheen, Co Clare, Patrick O' Shea, aged 54, of Sir Harry's Mall, Limerick, Gerard ``Ger'' Brommell, aged 43, of Rostura Crescent, Woodview Park, Limerick, Robert Mc Namara, aged 59, of St Michael's Avenue, Tipperary, Joseph ''Tiny'' Lynch, aged 61, of Beechgrove Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick and Christopher Dunne, aged 28, of Donnellan Buildings, Rosbrien, Limerick.

The trial continues tomorrow.