A FATHER of three shot dead near his home in Limerick over three years ago suffered a gunshot wound to his chest, a jury in a murder trial heard yesterday.
Greg Crawford (23), St Mary’s Park, Limerick, denies the murder of Gareth Brosnan-Grant (25) at St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick, on October 8th, 2007.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Limerick, heard that a discharged bullet was found in Brosnan-Grant’s chest.
Det Garda Tom Power of the ballistic section of the Garda Technical Bureau said he went to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital on October 9th, 2007, as a postmortem was carried out. He said Brosnan-Grant had suffered a gunshot injury to the left side of his chest.
The jury also heard evidence that ballistic experts examined an Ithaca semi-automatic pistol and a magazine which could hold eight rounds of .45-inch calibre ammunition. Previously the jury heard that an Ithaca handgun was found in the back garden of Mr Crawford’s grandparents’ house the day after Brosnan-Grant was killed.
In his opening address, Tom Creed SC, prosecuting, told the jury it would hear evidence that a DNA sample taken from a glove found around the gun matched samples taken from the accused.
He also said the jury would hear evidence that the bullet that killed Brosnan-Grant was fired from the gun found in the garden.
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Carney.