Jury hears that stolen motorbike was used to drive to scene of shooting

A jury at the Central Criminal Court has heard evidence relating to the driving of a motorcycle, allegedly driven by a man accused of murder, to the scene of a shooting in Dublin last year.

Bryan Ryan (ages 24), an unemployed man originally from Sheepmore Crescent in Blanchardstown has pleaded not guilty to the murder Ian Tobin at Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown on May 27th, 2007.

Twenty-five year old father of two Mr Tobin died after he was shot through a door in what the prosecution say was an attack intended for his brother, Blake.

It is the prosecution’s case that, as a result of an ongoing feud, Mr Ryan drove a motorbike with another man, Michael Murray, who was carrying a gun, and that Mr Murray shot Ian Tobin in the neck.

Barry Crawford told Sean Guerin BL, prosecuting, that he owned a Honda 750 motorcycle which was stolen at some time during the night of April 30 and May 1 last year.

Garda Kevin Higgins told the court that, at 5.30am on the morning of the shooting, he saw smoke rising from Sheepmore Estate in Blanchardstown.

When he arrived there he found a Honda motorcycle on fire in the front garden of a derelict house.

Garda Higgins said that the motorcycle had the same registration as the motorcycle reported stolen by Mr Crawford.

Gemma Richardson, a manager of Lidl in Blakestown at the time of the shooting, told Mr Guerin that, three days after the shooting, gardaí requested to view CCTV footage recorded by the store’s cameras.

The footage was from the morning of the shooting and showed a motorcycle driving past on the road outside the store.

A still photograph taken from the CCTV footage was shown to Garda John Le Strange. He told the jury that this photo showed a black motorcycle with two people on board.

Tom O’Connell SC, prosecuting, read a statement from State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy to the jury, which concluded that Mr Tobin died of a shotgun injury to the neck, blood loss and obstruction of airways.

Legal issues are to be dealt with tomorrow/today (Wed) in the absence of the jury and the trial is expected to resume on Thursday morning/tomorrow morning.