A forensic scientist found blood inside a blue horse box in a yard belonging to one of the men accused of abducting and assaulting businessman Kevin Lunney, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Dr Yvonne O'Dowd of Forensic Science Ireland yesterday told the Court that she attended a yard at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 22, 2019 to examine a blue horse box for evidence of blood.
Dr O’Dowd used luminol, a chemical spray that emits a blue light when it comes into contact with blood. Having conducted a thorough search of the inside of the horse box, she noted a blue glow in an area to the right of the door.
Dr O'Dowd did a further "KM test" which confirmed the presence of blood and so she took two swabs from the area. She brought the samples to the Forensic Science Laboratories where she conducted a hematrace test which confirmed the blood was human rather than animal.
Detective Garda David Kerrigan told Mr Guerin that he arrived at the yard at Drumbrade on September 21, the day before Dr O'Dowd conducted her examination. He said he noted the presence of trailers and a horse box and reported what he saw to a senior garda who told him to preserve the scene. Garda Kerrigan said he conducted inquiries and established that the yard belonged to 66 year old Luke O'Reilly of Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan, one of the four accused.
Lawyers for the four accused are challenging the admissibility of evidence relating to the yard and trailers.
