Forensic tests strongly suggest that a Co Galway man accused of the rape and murder of a schoolgirl had contact with her on the night she died, a Central Criminal Court jury has been told.
Tests showed "numerous" fibres that matched the dead schoolgirl's clothes on a jumper allegedly worn by the man at the time of the killing.
Fibres matching the schoolgirl's clothes were also found on the man's car seat, and two red acrylic fibres matching his car seat cover were found on her clothes, a State forensic scientist said.
The evidence came on the 11th day of the trial of a 26year-old Co Galway man who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 17-year-old schoolgirl and two counts of rape on the same occasion on December 6th, 1998. Dr Louise McKenna said the possibility that fibres from three sources in the girl's clothing - her jacket, jumper and socks - had a different origin was "very remote".
Dr McKenna said that an acrylic wine jumper and black socks worn by the girl shed fibres that were suitable for analysis as was a blue polyester fleece jacket found near her body. Dr McKenna said she looked for fibres on a white ribbed V-neck jumper the prosecution alleges the schoolgirl wore at the time of the killing.
She said she found "numerous fibres" which matched the polyester fleece jacket and "numerous fibres" which matched her wine acrylic jumper.
"I also found nine black acrylic fibres on [the accused's] jumper which matched [the deceased's] socks." Dr McKenna also found that a red and black seat cover from the car "shed readily". "On her clothes I found two red acrylic fibres which matched the seat cover."
She said she found the evidence lent "very strong support that [the schoolgirl] was in contact with [the accused's] jumper and strong support for her being in his car". She said she chose the words "very strong" and "strong" from a six-point scale used in such analysis: no support; slight support; support; strong support; and very strong support.
In cross-examination, Mr Barry White SC, defending, said that "numerous" was a "rather unscientific description". Dr McKenna said it was the standard description when more than 15 matches are found.
"In this case I found 25 blue polyester fibres which matched the fleece and 20 wine fibres which matched the jumper and then I stopped looking," she said. "And in fact that would be much more than what some laboratories might do. Some laboratories stop looking after finding six." Mr White put it to her that "not alone are garments made in mass quantities but also particular types of fibres used in the manufacture of one garment might be used in the manufacture of another garment."
"Yes, it's something a scientist will always take into account in assessing the significance of fibres found," Dr McKenna replied.
The trial continues today.