Jury hears closing speeches in murder trial of Cavan man

A jury at the trial of a Cavan man accused of murder has been listening to closing speeches from the prosecution and the defence.

Trevor McCabe (aged 34), Mountpleasant, Ballyconnell, Co Cavan has pleaded not guilty to murdering Darren McGrath (33) in Belturbet, Co Cavan on May 20 last year.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr McCabe shot Mr McGrath as he slept.

They say that Mr McCabe entered the house with a shotgun at approximately 5am, shot Mr McGrath twice, and then drove off.

Today, Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, said that there is “sufficient evidence” for the jury to convict Mr McCabe.

During the trial, the dead man’s partner, Nicole Lennon, told the court that the accused man was the assailant.

Mr Sammon said: “You have to be especially careful when considering visual identification evidence.

“But this is not a case of fleeting visual identification,” he said.

“The evidence is that she blurted out: ‘It was Trevor, it was Trevor’, so she had no doubt about who had done this.”

Also, during the trial, the court heard that an Adidas jacket was found in a bag in a Spar shop in Dromore, Co Tyrone the evening after the alleged murder.

The court heard that firearms residue was found on the jacket and that it was “similar” to one the accused had been wearing on the morning of the alleged murder.

Peter Finlay SC, defending, told the court that Mr McCabe’s DNA was not found on the jacket.

“This is a matter of very considerable significance in this trial,” he said.

He said that the jury had been told that the Adidas jacket was the piece of clothing that had been closest to the shooting.

“If that is the case, [the assailant] cannot be Trevor McCabe,” he said.

The jury will retire on Monday to consider its verdict.