Garda’s injuries were ‘incompatible with life’, court hears

The injuries sustained by a garda who was shot in the face during an armed robbery at a credit union were “incompatible with life”, a paramedic who was first on the scene told the Central Criminal Court on Thursday.

Paramedic Tony Horwell told Lorcan Staines SC for the prosecution that he responded to a shooting at Lordship Credit Union on January 25th, 2013 and found Det Gda Adrian Donohoe lying in the credit union car park. He attached an ECG machine but found no cardio activity.

He told Mr Staines that the injuries Det Gda Donohoe had sustained were “inconsistent with life” so he assumed death had taken place

Det Gda Donohoe’s wife identified his body 90 minutes after he was shot dead, the court also heard on Thursday.

Inspector Darren Kirwan told Lorcan Staines SC for the prosecution that at 9.45pm on January 25th, 2013 he became aware that Det Gda Donohoe had been shot and he immediately went to the deceased’s home to visit his wife Caroline Donohoe, who is also a garda.

Not guilty plea

Insp Kirwan said he had known both Ms Donohoe and the deceased for 17 years and he described Det Gda Donohoe as a “close friend” as well as a work colleague.

He said Ms Donohoe wanted to visit the scene and at 11pm that night she identified her husband’s body as it lay in the credit union car park.

Aaron Brady (28) from New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder of Det Gda Donohoe (41) who was then a member of An Garda Síochána on active duty on January 25th, 2013 at Lordship Credit Union, Bellurgan, Co Louth. Mr Brady has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbing approximately €7,000 in cash and assorted cheques on the same date and at the same location.

Jane Murphy BL read a report by former Deputy State Pathologist Dr Khalid Jaber. Counsel told the jury that Dr Jaber carried out a post mortem on the deceased at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth on January 26th, 2013. Dr Jaber identified “extensive damage to the brain and skull” and said the cause of death was a “penetrating shotgun wound the the face (head).”

Christina Birch told Mr Staines that she was driving with her husband Paul in the passenger seat and when they passed Lordship Credit Union they noticed a car parked over the entrance of the car park and heard two “large bangs”.

She thought it unusual so she pulled in to see what was going on.

The car at the gateway of the credit union was not small or big, it might have been a hatchback and was “bigger than a Golf” and dark-coloured, she said. Ms Birch called 999 while her husband watched what was happening through the car’s rear window. She told gardaí that a robbery was taking place. Her phone records showed that she made the call at 21.29.

Paul Birch told Mr Staines that he noticed a car stopped across the entrance to the credit union car park and thought it “unusual”. He heard two loud bangs which his wife said were shotgun noises.

When they pulled in he looked back towards the credit union and saw someone jumping over the car park wall. The car that had been blocking the car park entrance then drove off at speed in the direction of the Ballymascanlon roundabout.

The trial continues in front of Justice Michael White and a jury of eight men and seven women.