Double murder trial resumes after jurors return

A Garda told a murder trial today how he realised that an alleged double murder suspect captured on video footage was a man he had spent four days taking a witness statement from.

In the Central Criminal Court, the trial of a Chinese national accused of the double murder of a student couple in their apartment in Dublin two years ago resumed yesterday after delays due to the hospitalisation of first one, and then a second juror.

Mr Yu Jie (aged 25), with a last address at McKee Avenue, Finglas, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of English language student Ms Liu Qing (aged 19) in an apartment at Blackhall Square, off North King St., Dublin 7, between 6pm on March 12th 2001 and 3am on March 14th 2001. He has also denied the murder of Ms Liu's boyfriend, Mr Yue Feng (aged 19) between 1pm on March 12th and 3am on March 14th in the same place.

Detective Sergeant Sean Grennan told the trial yesterday that he and Detective Garda Peter Woods interviewed the accused man as a witness over four days between March 16th and March 19th 2001. They took a statement from Mr Yu because he was the only person they knew in Ireland who knew both the deceased, Det Sgt Grennan said, and they were anxious to get as much "background" as they could on the deceased couple.

He said that over the four days, he would have met Yu Jie for seven-and-a-half hours to take the witness statement. Yu Jie was afraid he would lose his two restuarant jobs, so the gardai tried to fit in with his availability and the availability of a translator, he said.

Det Sgt Grennan told Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, defending, that it was not until 5pm on March 21st, two days after the witness statement was taken from Yu Jie, that it occurred to him that the suspect in a video photograph taken at the USIT travel office on Aston Quay might be Yu Jie.

He agreed with Mr O'Carroll that two people identified another man, Mr X, as being the suspect in video footage taken at the main entrance to the deceased couple's apartment. The detective said that a number of other people who knew Mr X had not identified him on the video. Mr X lived in Portlaoise, and the witness said he later interviewed him on March 24th, when the accused man had already been charged with murder.

"Mr X said it was very like him but it wasn't him", the detective told the court.

He told counsel that he could not possibly have known whether Mr X was the man shown in the USIT video footage on March 21st because he had not seen him yet at that stage.

"It is clearly Yu Jie in the still from USIT", the detective said.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Abbott and the jury.