Dublin murder trial continues

The jury in the trial of a Dublin man accused of a double murder in the city two years ago has heard evidence from State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy.

Gary Howard (aged 24), with addresses at Emerald Street, Dublin 2 and Dunsoghly Grove, Finglas, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Patrick Mooney (aged 58) and Brendan Molyneaux (aged 46) at Pearse House on January 10, 2010.

Professor Cassidy told Mr Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that Brendan Molyneaux’s death was “swift with no hope of recovery” after a single gunshot to the back of his head injured his brain stem and caused his immediate collapse.

She said that the bullet penetrated the base of the deceased man’s head, severed a major artery and caused haemorrhaging inside his skull. Professor Cassidy told Mr Grehan that the bullet travelled through to the cheek bone - fracturing it - and was recovered in that location.

She told the court that an analysis of the deceased man’s blood showed “trivial quantities” of methadone, tranquilisers diazepam, temazepam and flurazepam, and cannabis.

Professor Cassidy told the court that Patrick Mooney died from a combination of brain injury and the laceration of his jugular after he suffered two gunshot wounds to the head.

She said that one bullet penetrated the deceased man’s skull and travelled across his brain, breaking his upper jaw before lodging behind it, while the other bullet penetrated his cheek, travelled across his mouth and lacerated the left jugular vein.

Professor Cassidy said that powder residue present on Mr Mooney’s body suggested the shot to the cheek was taken from “fairly close range”.

She said that there was evidence that Mr Mooney had suffered a stroke in the past, while an analysis of his blood revealed the presence of heroin and diazepam, but not in excess.

Friends Brendan Molyneaux and Patrick Mooney were shot in the city-centre flat belonging to Mr Mooney on the evening of Sunday, January 10, 2010. Both were pronounced dead shortly after their arrival at hospital. Gary Howard was arrested by gardaí after they forced their way in to his Finglas home at 9:25pm on the same night.

At the opening of the prosecution case, Mr Grehan said that the State would seek to prove that Gary Howard carried out the fatal shooting at approximately 6:40pm on the evening in question and that CCTV evidence would place him at the flat at that time.

He said it was the prosecution’s case that this evidence, allied with alleged confessions made by the accused man in garda custody to the shootings, would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the Gary Howard was guilty of the two murders charged against him.

The jury were this morning shown footage recorded by a CCTV camera covering the entrance to Mr Mooney’s flat on the afternoon and evening of January 10, 2010.

Garda Michael Moore told Mr Grehan that the footage shows four men calling to the Pearse House flat over the course of the afternoon.

He said that just after half past six in the evening, a lone male can be seen knocking on the door of the flat and entering.

Garda Moore said that that 10 minutes later a man is captured leaving the flat, followed immediately by another male. He said that just over a minute later a third man makes his exit from the flat.

He agreed with Mr Grehan that the footage captured the arrival of a female at the flat just before 6.50pm on the same evening, which was in line with earlier evidence given by Patrick Mooney’s sister Mary.

Ms Mooney, who is also a resident of Pearse House, told the court that she called to her brother’s flat close to 7pm on the night in question after someone had banged on her own door.

She said she kicked the door of her brother’s flat and shouted through the letterbox: “Come out you blaggards and you bowsies with your hoods and your guns”.

Ms Mooney agreed with Mr Grehan that her brother suffered a brain injury when he was younger, which had left him with a paralysed left arm and a “drag” in his left leg.

The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of six men and six women.