The jury in the trial of a 40-year-old man accused of murdering Lisa Thompson has continued watching a CCTV montage of what the prosecution said are the defendant's and a named woman's movements in the aftermath of the killing nearly three years ago.
Brian McHugh, 40, with an address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Thompson, 52, at Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11, on 9 May 2022.
In her opening speech, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions Fiona Murphy SC said Ms Thompson's body was found inside the door of her home with multiple stab wounds to the chest and a window blind cord wrapped around the neck.
She said the 12 jurors would hear that a mixed DNA profile was found on the blind cord, to which the accused man could not be excluded as a minor contributor.
The trial has heard witness evidence that Ms Thompson, who was stabbed 11 times in the chest, was dealing prescription drugs from her home.
A pathologist has also given evidence that Ms Thompson's death occurred because of a combination of ligature strangulation causing asphyxia and multiple stab wounds to the left side of the chest.
Yesterday, the jury viewed CCTV footage of what the prosecution said are Mr McHugh's movements near the deceased's home at Sandyhill Gardens on the night of the killing.
A named woman was seen driving a Hyundai Tucson with a man in the passenger seat on the evening of 8 May and into 9 May 2022. The Hyundai could be seen turning into Sandyhill Gardens at 1.24am and driving down the lane when the passenger gets out of the vehicle. The man can be seen entering Sandyhill Court at 1.30am with "some sort of a light in his hand".
At 2.28am the Hyundai is seen "travelling down into" Sandyhill Gardens, and a man can be seen in the front passenger seat of the vehicle around 2.54am.
Ms Murphy has said it is the prosecution case that the male is the accused, Mr McHugh. However, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, has asked that the male be referred to as "the man" for now.
Garda Michelle Purcell, from Santry Garda Station, continued taking the prosecution through a montage of CCTV footage today, which showed the named woman driving the Hyundai into an Applegreen service station on St Margaret's Road in Swords in the early hours of 9 May, at 3.04am. A man is in the passenger seat of the car.
The jury could see into the front passenger seat of the vehicle from the footage, where the male passenger is "going through a red wallet".
Garda Purcell commented that the man is seen putting items into his pocket.
The witness also said that the man "went through a red pillowcase", to which the defence objected. Garda Purcell then said the man had gone through "a red item".
The two occupants remain at the service station in the Hyundai, and at one point the man can be seen with "a red item" on him. At 3.23am, the man, who has items in his hand, walks towards the hatch of the service station, where he counts money.
The Hyundai pulls away from the service station around 3.40am and heads towards Finglas village.
The car returns to the Applegreen service station on St Margaret's Road at 4.04am and parks up. The driver gets out and opens the boot of the car. He gets into the driver's side with "something in his hand".
The witness said the driver throws something out the window of the car on two occasions when the vehicle is parked up. The Hyundai leaves the service station around 4.48am and drives onto St Margaret's Road.
Having played the CCTV footage, Garda Purcell agreed with Ms Murphy that the compilation shown to the jury had spanned from 8 May to 10 May.
Ms Murphy asked the witness about having identified a light coming on at the front of Ms Thompson's house in the early hours of 9 May Garda Purcell said the light had not gone off and stayed on.
Under cross-examination by Mr Grehan, Garda Purcell agreed that the footage did not show every single movement of the Hyundai, nor did it show whether anyone else might have gotten in or out of the car.
The witness further agreed with the defence counsel that there was not any CCTV footage covering the back gate into Ms Thompson's house, and therefore, there is nothing to show "anyone who might enter or leave through those back gates".
The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and a jury of four men and eight women.
