A former member of the Defence Forces who worked as a security guard with Mr John Crerar on the night Kildare woman Ms Phyllis Murphy disappeared, has told a jury he lied to gardaí when he provided an alibi for Mr Crerar back in 1980.
Mr Patrick Bolger said he retracted his first account when he was arrested and re-interviewed in 1999 as a suspect in the murder. A garage owner has separately alleged that Mr Crerar approached him in January 1980 asking him to cover for him on the night Ms Murphy disappeared.
It was the 12th day of the Central Criminal Court trial of Mr Crerar (54), of Woodside Park, Kildare, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Philomena ("Phyllis") Murphy (23), on a date unknown between December 22nd, 1979 and January 18th, 1980, within the State.
The prosecution alleges that Ms Murphy "disappeared" at a bus stop opposite the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, Co Kildare shortly after 6.30 p.m. on December 22nd, 1979. Her body was found naked and strangled under trees close to the Wicklow Gap 28 days later.
Mr Bolger said that in December 1979 he was on free discharge from the Army and working as a security guard with Provincial Security at the Black & Decker plant in Kildare. The accused, a former Army sergeant, was also working with Provincial.
Mr Bolger said he spent the afternoon of December 22nd shopping with his wife and family in Newbridge. On the way home, five of them went to McWey's pub.
Mr Crerar was there. Mr Bolger said he himself left at about 6:40 p.m., went home, had tea and then changed into his uniform and went to work, arriving at the Black & Decker plant around 8 o'clock. He said Mr Crerar "turned up at around 20 to nine or so".
"He pulled up outside the security hut in his car and said there was something wrong with it", Mr Bolger said. He said the accused told him that he had hit a bump in the road and the battery fell out. Mr Bolger claimed Mr Crerar said:"I'll be back after a while, I'm going down to O'Leary's to play darts", and then he went off.
"He came back about 25 or 20 to 11 that night," he told the trial. He agreed with Mr Michael Durack SC, prosecuting, that he had not given that account when he was interviewed by gardaí in 1980.
Mr John Dempsey told the court he had a garage business in Fairview, Kildare in 1979. He said in December 1979, Mr Crerar traded in a Hillman Hunter and bought a Datsun. Mr Dempsey said the accused "wanted me to say that at a particular time, that he was going to be in the garage on this date, which I did not agree to".
The trial continues.