Car owned by other suspect ‘drove past before killing’
A CAR belonging to a suspect in the murder of Adrian Donohoe was captured on camera driving by the scene hours before the fatal shooting, a court has heard.
The jury in the trial of Aaron Brady (29), who denies capital murder, has continued hearing mobile phone and CCTV evidence.
The court was shown footage from on January 25, 2013, outside the Lordship Credit Union in Dundalk, Co Louth, where Detective Garda Donohoe was shot dead during a robbery shortly before 9.30pm later that night.
Det Gda Gareth Kenna told the court that at 1.46pm that afternoon, a dark-toned saloon vehicle was observed driving past the credit union from the Carlingford direction.
He agreed with prosecuting counsel Lorcan Staines SC that the passenger window of the car was open and that a person’s face appeared to be visible.
Several seconds later a different camera at Lordship Credit Union captured the vehicle’s window going up.
Mr Staines told the court it is accepted the car was a BMW 5 Series belonging to a man who the prosecution allege was also involved in the credit union robbery later that day.
This individual cannot be named for legal reasons.
The court had earlier been shown footage which captured a dark-toned saloon car passing by the credit union before pulling into the nearby Bellurgan service station, Co Louth.
Det Gda Kenna said the suspect can then be seen going into the shop and purchasing two bottles of water before getting back into the car.
The car then drove off in the direction of Lordship Credit Union.
The jury of six men and seven women will continue hearing evidence in the case on Monday.
Charges
Mr Brady, of New Road in Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, is charged with the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe, who was then a member of An Garda Síochána acting in the course of his duty, at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgnan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.
He is also charged with the robbery of approximately €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques from Pat Bellew at the same location on the same date.
Mr Brady has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Earlier, the court heard evidence of phone traffic between the accused and other mobile numbers.
This included several texts between a mobile referred to as ‘Aaron x’, attributed to the accused, and his then girlfriend Jessica King.
The jury also heard evidence of calls between a ‘Brades 2’ phone, belonging to the accused, and a number of other people on the morning of the January 25.