IRA membership trial hears fingerprints 'compare' to those of accused

The Special Criminal Court has heard that fingerprints of a 38-year-old man on trial for IRA membership “compared” to those found on mobile phones seized from a Mercedes, which was carrying rifles and ammunition.

Barry O'Brien, of Mountainview Court, Dundalk Co Louth, has pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself on the Irish Republican Army, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann, otherwise the IRA, on April 6, 2004.

The court has heard that the father of three was interviewed by Gardaí eight times over three days in April 2004, and consistently denied he was an IRA member.

When asked by detectives to explain why his fingerprints “compared” to those found on the sim card bracket of two mobile phones, seized during the arrest of three people found with firearms in September 2003, O'Brien replied that he had “no explanation, none that I can think of just yet”.

Interviewing Gardaí informed him they were aware that IRA members were often told to change their sim cards to avoid detection by the authorities. “I would not be doing that, I am not a member of an unlawful organisation,” O'Brien replied.

Asked to explain why more fingerprints were on a piece of paper also found during that arrest, on which six mobile phone numbers were written, three of which belonged to convicted IRA members, O'Brien said: “"here must be an innocent application”.

During the interviews, he also told detectives that 15 books of fund-raising raffle tickets for “POWs” found in his house, had probably been sent to him by the welfare committee of Portlaoise prison.

O'Brien said he had not sold any of the tickets and denied they were for an IRA fund-raising operation. He also said 50 cartons of L and M cigarettes discovered in his home by Gardaí were for personal use, and denied they were for IRA fundraising activities.

He denied that a sum of cash found under his mattress was the proceeds of an IRA fundraiser, and said he had procured it from the EBS for home repairs.

O'Brien said two walkie-talkies also found in his house were for staying in contact with his children while they were away on holidays.

Six plastic ties, an empty bullet case and a crowbar were also found during the search of his home.

The trial is continuing.