Murder accused baffled by fingerprint on gun
One of two Dublin men accused of murder told gardaí he “doesn’t know” how his fingerprint ended up on the double-barrelled shotgun that killed a 65-year-old grandmother, the Central Criminal Court today.
Conor Grogan (aged 26), of Avonbeg Park, Tallaght, Dublin, and Timothy Rattigan (aged 26), of St Dominick’s Terrace, Tallaght, Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mrs Joan Casey (aged 65) at Avonbeg Park on April 3, 2004.
Detective Garda Hugh Jackman of the Garda Technical Bureau’s Fingerprint Section examined the crime scene and a number of items found nearby.
A blue bag found in the bushes close to Mrs Casey’s home contained a double-barrelled shotgun, which was in three pieces, along with three spent cartridges, two live cartridges and a blank firing pistol.
Det Gd Jackman matched a finger mark located two to three inches up the right-hand barrel of the gun to the accused, Rattigan.
“The mark was made by the left-ring finger impression of Timothy Rattigan,” he said.
Det Gd Jackman agreed with Mr Edward Comyn SC, prosecuting, that the area on the shotgun that contained the fingerprint would only be exposed if the gun was being assembled or disassembled.
The court also heard parts of garda interviews with the accused, Rattigan, which were read to the court by Mr Padraig Dwyer BL, prosecuting.
Detective Garda Michael Cuffe interviewed Rattigan at Tallaght Garda Station on April 19.
Rattigan said he had been with his co-accused from the previous night, drinking at a pub and ending up at Rattigan’s sister’s flat in the early hours of the night.
The court heard that on the morning of April 3, Rattigan said he had gone to his mother’s house for breakfast around 11.30am with his sister, Tina, and had then gone to mind his 3 and 10-year-old kids, taking them to McDonalds later.
Rattigan said he “remembered reading about” Mrs Casey’s death.
“Everyone was wondering how it happened,” he told Det Gd Cuffe.
He said he “wasn’t sure” if he met Grogan that Saturday, later saying he “couldn’t remember”.
"Timothy, the morning you are talking about there were gardaí all over the place and you have a hard time remembering anything?” he was asked.
“It was a normal day to me,” Rattigan replied.
Later in the interview, the accused was asked: “Are you proud of yourself for shooting a granny?”
“I didn’t shoot anyone,” Rattigan replied.
The accused said: “I don’t know” when Det Gd Cuffe asked him how his fingerprint ended up on the gun that killed Mrs Casey.
He then admitted he “may have seen” the gun before.
“You are saying that you may have seen it but that doesn’t explain the fingerprint?” Det Gd Cuffe said.
“I can’t explain,” Rattigan answered.
Gardaí told Rattigan he had been “telling lies all day”, which the accused denied.
“The number one lie is that you shot Joan Casey in her bed,” Det Gd Cuffe said.
“I didn’t,” he replied.
In an interview the following morning, Rattigan was asked if he was “feeling any remorse”.
“For what?” he replied.
"For killing Mrs Casey,” Det Gd Cuffe said.
“I never killed anyone in my life,” Rattigan replied.
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of six men and six women.
