Jury told DNA of man accused of murdering Clare pensioner was found inside blood-stained boots

A MIXED DNA profile taken from inside a pair of boots heavily stained with the blood of a widower beaten to death in his own home in County Clare contained the DNA of the man accused of his murder, a forensic scientist has told a jury.

Another scientist told the Central Criminal Court this Wednesday that there is "strong support" for the view that those boots, recovered from a house where the accused had stayed the night before the body was found, made "impressions" on the floor of the deceased's home rather than other unknown footwear.

It is the prosecution case that widower John O'Neill died after a vicious attack by his nephew, who they submit had repeatedly kicked him to the head while wearing steel-capped boots.

A pathologist has told the trial that she observed the heavily blood-smeared and "flattened" face of the pensioner lying on his kitchen floor, injuries which she said were "in keeping with multiple kicks, blows and stamping".

Thomas Lorigan, aged 34, of no fixed abode has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr O'Neill (78) at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare on a date unknown between January 6 and January 7, 2022.

Evidence has also been given that Mr Lorigan was known by the nickname 'Mossy' in the Clare area and was the deceased's nephew. 

The jury has heard that Mr O'Neill lived alone and previously ran a bed and breakfast at his home along with his wife, who passed away in the summer of 2021.

Giving evidence this Wednesday, forensic scientist Amanda Lennon told Eilis Brennan SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, that she deals with trace and footwear impression evidence. 

Ms Lennon said she was given a pair of boots which were recovered from Gleann Bhreandain in Lisdoonvarna, photographs of "marks" on a lino floor of a footwear impression and pieces of carpet with "some marks" on them.

She said she was also provided with a Dell laptop which also had marks on it. 

The jury has heard that gardai seized a pair of 'Portwest' boots in a size 46 from a house at Gleann Bhreandain in Lisdoonvarna on January 7 2022, where the accused stayed the night before the body was found. 

Ms Lennon said the boots had an overall sole pattern of thick chevron shaped blocks. 

The witness said the lino surface had an overlay pattern of at least two impressions containing chevron, which she compared to the pattern of the boot. She said it matched the right boot "in pattern and size". 

Ms Lennon said she used an enhancement treatment to develop the latent from footwear impressions in blood made on two pieces of carpet.

She said she could see an almost complete footwear impression of chevron shaped and curved blocks following the enhancement treatment. The witness said both impressions on the carpet had matched the left boot "in pattern and size". 

The witness said the Dell laptop was in a damaged condition and there were two partial footwear impressions on the outside of the machine, which matched the right boot in size, pattern and "some wear detail".

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The trial has heard that the deceased was found lying on his back in the kitchen with his legs bent and that a laptop was overturned around three feet from his head. 

In conclusion, Ms Lennon said her findings provided "strong support" for the assertion that the boots seized from Gleann Bhreandain had made those impressions "rather than other unknown footwear". 

Forensic scientist Dr Alan McGee told Ms Brennan that he was asked to examine blood-staining from the scene of the fatal assault as well as boots seized from Gleann Bhreandain for the purposes of blood and DNA. 

Dr McGee said blood found on the street outside O'Neill's B&B and inside the archway matched the deceased Mr O'Neill.

The witness said blood-staining was significant "in places on the upper portions" of the boots and on the soles. He said blood was on the inner aspect of the left boot and along the inner aspect and the sole of the right boot.

He said the DNA profile from the blood matched Mr O'Neill's profile. 

Dr McGee said he took a DNA profile from inside both of the boots and obtained a mixed profile. "There were two main contributors and one trace contributor.

All profiles of John O'Neill and Thomas Lorigan were present in the mixture," he added. 

The witness also examined a pair of blood-stained jeans seized from Gleann Bhreandain. He said the DNA profile obtained from the right knee and lower left leg matched Mr O'Neill's profile. He also took a DNA profile from inside the waistband of the jeans and it matched the accused's profile. 

On Tuesday, Heather Crowe, said she and her husband ran The Ritz Hotel in Lisdoonvarna and that a person had identified himself to her as 'Thomas O'Neill' in October 2021.

She said from the end of November 2021 several local people had referred to him as "Mossy". She said the man always wore blue jeans, black boots, a black snood, sometimes a green khaki jacket, a hat with earmuffs and gloves.  

Asked about the black boots, Ms Crowe said they were steel toe capped boots, which looked like work boots to her. 

Under cross-examination, the witness told Michael Bowman SC, defending, that the man always wore steel capped boots and that she was sure they were "steel tipped" as her husband had an identical pair. 

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.