Jury hears extensive mobile phone evidence in Dublin murder trial

The jury in a Dublin murder trial has heard a detailed breakdown of mobile phone communication between the defendants around the time of the killing.

The four men are on trial at the Central Criminal Court, charged with murdering a 33-year-old father-of-three in a city pub two years ago.

John Carroll (aged 33) was shot dead while socialising in Grumpy Jack’s Pub in the Coombe just after 9.30pm on February 18, 2009.

Father-of-two Bernard Hempenstall (aged 28) from Park Terrace, The Coombe; Peter Kenny (aged 29) of McCarthy’s Terrace, Rialto; Damien Johnston (aged 27) of Cashel Avenue, Crumlin; and Christopher Zambra (aged 35) of Galtymore Road, Drimnagh have all pleaded not guilty to his murder.

Sarah Skedd, Crime and Policing Analyst with An Garda Siochána, gave details of six mobile phone numbers today.

They included two numbers for Bernard Hempenstall, one for Damien Johnston, one for Peter Kenny and another attributed to Mr Zambra.

The sixth number belonged to the chief prosecution witness in the case, Joseph O’Brien. He admitted being heavily involved in the killing but was granted immunity in exchange for giving evidence against the four defendants.

He has testified that Christopher Zambra was the brains behind the murder, that Bernard Hempenstall told the others where the victim was and that Damien Johnston drove alleged gunman Peter Kenny to the scene.

O’Brien had been a friend of Mr Hempenstall and Mr Johnston up until his statements to the gardaí a couple of days after the murder.

Ms Skedd said that Mr O’Brien rang Mr Hempenstall twice between 7.55pm and 8pm on the evening of the murder. He rang Mr Johnston at 7.57pm, but didn’t get through.

Mr Johnston rang Mr Hempenstall at 8.02pm and texted him two minutes later.

Between 8.08pm and 8.17pm, Mr Hempenstall and O’Brien both rang the phone attributed to Mr Zambra and O’Brien also rang Mr Hempenstall.

The phone attributed to Mr Zambra then rang Mr Kenny twice, getting through to him the second time, while O’Brien rang Mr Hempenstall.

At 8.20pm, the phone attributed to Mr Zambra rang O’Brien; O’Brien returned the call two minutes later, and at 8.37pm, the phone attributed to Mr Zambra rang O’Brien back.

Mr Zambra’s alleged phone rang Peter Kenny at 8.38pm, with Mr Kenny returning the call six minutes later.

In the meantime, O’Brien phoned Mr Zambra’s alleged phone at 8.43pm.

Mr Hempenstall received a call from O’Brien at 8.55pm.

Mr Zambra’s alleged phone rang Mr Kenny at 9.02pm while O’Brien and Mr Hempenstall texted each other around the same time.

Mr Hempenstall texted O’Brien again at 9.05pm and phoned him a minute later.

The court has already heard that this was around the time the deceased entered Grumpy Jack’s with Mr Hempenstall and two other men.

O’Brien’s phone was not in contact with any of the accused between 9.06pm and 9.56pm that night.

Ms Skedd said that there was a communication from an unnamed number to Mr Kenny’s phone at 9.07pm.

“This is the last transaction made or received by this number prior to the murder,” she said. “The next call received by Peter Kenny was at 9.54pm from Christopher Zambra.”

Mr Johnston sent a text at 9.14pm.

“This is the last call in or out from Damien Johnston’s phone prior to 9.35pm,” she said, referring to the time of the killing.

Mr Hempenstall made a call at 9.18pm, sent two text messages at 9.30pm and 9.33pm.

“The last outgoing message from Bernard Hempenstall was at 9.33pm,” she said.

Ms Skedd moved onto after the murder and said that Peter Kenny’s phone called a landline at 9.43pm, while Mr Johnston’s phone tried to make a call at the same time.

Peter Kenny phoned O’Brien at 9.56pm and Mr Zambra’s alleged phone called Peter Kenny at 10.13pm, getting through to his voicemail.

Damien Johnston tried to ring O’Brien three times around 10.19pm, with O’Brien getting back to him at 10.20pm.

The trial will resume on Tuesday before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of eight men and four women.