Mother of murder accused gives evidence

The mother of a Wicklow man on trial for the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old, father of two gave evidence for the defence in the Central Criminal Court today.

Ann O’Brien mother of 37-year-old Garrett O’Brien who denies murdering Seamus O’Byrne on March 13, 2009, told the court that her son regularly shaved his head.

She agreed with Mr Feargal Kavanagh SC., defending, that there was nothing unusual about the fact that her son had shaved his head around the time of the shooting.

"Every fortnight he will shave his hair and his eyebrows meet so he plucks them as well because I always give out to him about it," she told the court.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr O’Brien of Clover Hill, Bray was the lone hooded gunman who shot Mr O’Byrne five times in the back in front of his partner and young son in the driveway of his home at Tymon Park North, Tallaght.

They allege that after killing Mr O’Byrne at around 8:15pm he went back to Bray, shaved his head, and then returned to the scene of the crime to try and retrieve his mobile phone.

Previously, the jury had been shown CCTV footage of a man identified as Mr O’Brien at various shops and petrol stations both prior to and after the time of the killing.

In the earlier footage Mr O’Brien’s hair is clearly visible, however, in footage from a petrol station in Rathmines recorded in the early hours of the morning after the shooting Mr O’Brien’s head is completely shaven.

Under cross-examination by prosecuting counsel Mr Alexander Owens SC, Ms O’Brien agreed that her son did not keep his hair shaved all the time.

When asked why during the course of the trial, now in its fifth week, Mr O’Brien had not once shaved his head Ms O’Brien replied: "Occasionally he will shave it off altogether but otherwise he keeps it short."

Closing speeches from both the prosecution and the defence are expected to commence tomorrow morning when the trial resumes before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.