The former Army sergeant accused of murdering Kildare woman Phyllis Murphy almost 23 years ago has told a jury that it is "absolutely impossible" that there is a DNA match between his blood and semen found in her body.
Mr John Crerar (54), a father-of-five, of Woodside Park, Kildare, has denied the murder of Ms Philomena Murphy (23), between December 22nd, 1979 and January 18th, 1980. Mr Crerar took the witness stand yesterday at his Central Criminal Court trial. His wife, Mrs Carmel Crerar, also gave evidence in his defence.
He told the court that he knew Phyllis Murphy to see, but did not know her personally.
"If I met her on the street I would know she was one of the Murphy girls, but not to speak to or to talk to, no", he said. He denied prosecution evidence that either Ms Murphy or her sisters had babysat for him or his family.
Mr Crerar told his counsel, Mr Roger Sweetman SC, that it was "absolutely impossible" that DNA from a blood sample he gave matched DNA in semen recovered from Ms Murphy's body. And he said that he gave a voluntary blood sample in early February 1980, not on March 6th, 1980, the date the prosecution evidence has suggested. His wife told the court that she also knew "for a fact" that her husband did not give the sample on March 6th.
Mr Crerar told the trial that he turned up for work as a security guard at the former Black and Decker plant in Kildare at around 8.05 p.m. or 8.10 p.m. on the night the prosecution alleges he killed Ms Murphy. He said he left shortly after 9.40 p.m. to play darts and collect a turkey from a local pub, O'Leary's. He said he left the pub between 11.15 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and returned to work.
His account contradicts the evidence of his former co-worker, Mr Paddy Bolger, who said Mr Crerar turned up for work at around 9 p.m. and then left immediately, returning at around 10:45 p.m.. Mr Crerar also contradicted the evidence of a former garage owner, Mr John Dempsey. Mr Dempsey told the trial that in January 1980, Mr Crerar approached him seeking "cover" for around 7 p.m. on the night of December 22nd.
Mr Crerar told the court that it was Mr Dempsey who approached him. He alleged that on January 18th, 1980, Mr Dempsey sent for him and told him the gardaí had been making inquiries about his car. He alleged that Mr Dempsey then offered to mark the car down for a service for the night of December 22nd.
He admitted washing out the boot of his car with boiling water sometime between December 22nd and the following weekend in 1979. He said he had washed out his car a number of times, both at home and in Black and Decker, because he couldn't get rid of the smell of spilt milk inside the boot.
In her evidence, Mrs Carmel Crerar, the defendant's wife, told Mr Sweetman that her husband returned home on December 22nd before leaving for the 8 p.m. shift at Black and Decker. She said it was sometime after 6.30 p.m. and he did not have time to eat his dinner.
Closing speeches are expected in the trial today.