Detective shot during robbery ‘identified by wife 90 minutes later’

DETECTIVE Garda Adrian Donohoe’s wife identified his body 90 minutes after he was shot dead during a credit union robbery, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.

Inspector Darren Kirwan told Lorcan Staines SC, for the prosecution, that at 9.45pm on January 25, 2013 he became aware that Detective Garda Donohoe had been shot.

He said he immediately went to the deceased’s home to visit the detective’s wife Caroline, who is also a garda.

Insp Kirwan said he had known both Caroline and the deceased for 17 years, and he described the detective as a ‘close friend’, as well as a work colleague.

He said Mrs Donohoe wanted to visit the scene and at 11pm that night, she identified her husband’s body in the credit union car park.

Aaron Brady, 28, from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh, has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Detective Garda Donohoe, 41, who was on active duty on January 25, 2013, at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co. Louth. Mr Brady also denies robbing about €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.

Jane Murphy BL read a report by former deputy State pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber. Counsel told the jury that Dr Jaber carried out a post mortem on the deceased at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co. Louth, on January 26, 2013.

Dr Jaber identified ‘extensive damage to the brain and skull’ and said the cause of death was a ‘penetrating shotgun wound to the face (head)’.

Paramedic Tony Horwell said he responded to the shooting and found the detective lying in the car park. He attached an ECG machine but found no sign of life.

Witness Leona White said she was driving on the Carlingford to Dundalk Road that night when she heard one loud bang, which she knew was a gunshot because she lives near a gun range. As she approached Bellurgan National School, which is across the road from Lordship Credit Union, a woman standing in the road flagged her down, the trial heard.

She seemed stressed and emotional, Ms White said, and didn’t make sense at first, but she told her there had been a robbery and somebody had been shot dead.

Witness Christina Birch said she was driving with her husband Paul in the passenger seat and when they passed Lordship Credit Union, they noticed a car parked over the entrance of the car park and heard two ‘large bangs’.

She said she thought it unusual so she pulled in to see what was going on. The car at the gateway of the credit union was not small or big, it might have been a hatchback and was ‘bigger than a Golf’ and dark-coloured, she said.

Ms Birch said she called 999 while her husband watched through the car’s rear window. She told gardaí a robbery was taking place, and her phone records showed that she made the call at 9.29pm, the court heard.

Paul Birch reported hearing two loud bangs which his wife said were shotgun noises. When they pulled in, he looked back towards the credit union and saw someone jumping over the car park wall, the court heard. The car that had been blocking the car park entrance then drove off at speed, the court also heard.

The witness got out of the car and went to the car park, where he saw a man he now knows as former detective garda Joe Ryan, who was ‘agitated’ and told him someone was dead, the court heard. Mr Birch then saw the body of Detective Garda Donohoe, the court heard. The trial continues.

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Witness ‘heard two loud bangs’