Shooting victim identified through fingerprint technology: Inquest hears
Shooting victim Mark Desmond died of multiple gunshot wounds and was identified following his death by fingerprint technology, an inquest into his death heard.
No family were present at Dublin Coroner’s Court where an inquest into Mr Desmond’s death was opened and adjourned.
No address was given for the 41 year old man who was shot dead at Griffeen Valley Park in Lucan in December 2016.
Detective Garda Colm Lawlor of the fingerprint section of the Garda Technical Buerau gave evidence of identification using fingerprint technology. He told the court that he gathered evidence at a scene at Griffeen Valley Park in Lucan preserved by An Garda Siochana.
“Inside a crime scene tent I observed the body of a male lying face up. I took fingerprint impressions of the left thumb and left fore finger of the deceased,” Det Lawlor said.
On December 4 2016 at the fingerprint section at Garda Headquarters he retrieved a matching set of fingerprints to those taken at the scene in Griffeen Valley Park.
The set on file belonged to a man named Mark Desmond and were taken taken 16 years previously at Mountjoy Prison. The man had a date of birth of March 30 1975 and an address at Lally Road in Ballyfermot.
“On December 4 2016 at the fingerprint section, Garda Headquarters I retrieved a set of finger and palm prints bearing the name Mark Desmond, of 100 Lally Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 taken on May 18th 2000 at Mountjoy Prison,” Det Lawlor said.
Det Lawlor said he compared the fingerprint impressions taken from the deceased at Griffeen Valley Park to fingerprints on file and made a positive identification.
An autopsy performed by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis on November 4 2016 gave the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.
Detective Inspector Sean Campbell told Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane that the man’s death is still under investigation and he applied for an adjournment under Section 25.1 of the Coroner’s Act. The coroner adjourned the inquest for further mention on November 23 2017.
