Deputy State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the inquest yesterday into the 1996 death of Donegal cattle dealer Mr Richard Barron that his fatal head injuries were, in her view, the result of a road traffic accident.
Det Supt John McGinley who was stationed in Letterkenny in October 1996 told the inquest the case was initially treated as a hit and run but changed to an investigation of suspicious circumstances or foul play. He said there was no evidence found at the scene to suggest a vehicle and no traces on the deceased's clothing. He said the first post-mortem showed Mr Barron's injuries were not consistent with a road traffic accident.
When asked if he still considered the matter a murder investigation Supt McGinley replied he had "an open mind on the matter as to how the deceased met his death".
Dr Cassidy told the inquest she received a request from Supt Tadhg Foley to conduct an independent post-mortem following last year's exhumation of Mr Barron's body.
Citing the two points of impact to the deceased's skull - to the left base of the skull and then the forehead - she said: "In the absence of any other significant injuries" the injuries occurred as the result of a road traffic accident. "It is highly unlikely these injuries would have resulted from an assault."
Referring to the striations or scuff marks on the front area of the skull noted by State Pathologist Prof John Harbison, Dr Cassidy said an object would have to strike the head with considerable force to produce such grooves in the bone. If it had been struck with that force more extensive fractures would have been expected.
Prof Harbison told the inquest on Wednesday he believed the fatal wounds were caused by a moving object, most likely a motor vehicle, but he acknowledged it was possible the injuries could have been the result of an assault.
Dr Cassidy offered the view that the possible cause of the bone striations was the head being moved along an uneven surface such as a road surface.
However, she acknowledged when questioned by Mr Donagh McDonagh SC, for the Barron family, that it was unusual there was no grit or tar from the road on the skull, but added that it does happen. The abrasions and soft tissue injuries found on the deceased's hands were consistent with contact with the road, she said.
Dr Cassidy told Mr McDonagh that a projecting object from a high-sided vehicle or side swipe could have caught Mr Barron. The amount of damage to his skull suggested there would have been enough force applied to the head to pitch him forward and flip him over. Mr McDonagh pointed out there was no evidence given of a motor vehicle in the area at the time Mr Barron died.
The jury will deliver its verdict following the coroner's summing up tomorrow.