A CENTRAL Criminal Court jury has heard that the shooting of Noel Roche on the Clontarf Road four years ago was a “gangland hit”.
Det Insp William McKenna agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that Mr Roche was known to gardaí and had been “coldly and clinically assassinated”.
Craig White (23), of O’Devaney Gardens in north inner city Dublin, denies murdering Noel Roche (27), on Clontarf Road on November 15th, 2005. Mr Roche was found shot dead in the passenger seat of a Ford Mondeo.
Insp McKenna told Anthony Sammon SC, that on December 5th, 2005 he applied for warrants to search Mr White’s and his girlfriend’s homes. Insp McKenna arrested the accused on that date at his girlfriend’s house for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Under cross-examination, Insp McKenna agreed that it became apparent at an early stage that Mr Roche had been the victim of a gangland hit. Insp McKenna had not known Mr Roche but became aware that the deceased had been known to gardaí. He also agreed with Mr Grehan that gardaí were told that a man called Patrick Doyle had shot Mr Roche from the back of a motorbike. The jury heard that Mr Doyle was shot dead in Spain in February 2008 and had also been known to gardaí.
Insp McKenna agreed with Mr Sammon that the deceased man’s distraught mother had accused Mr Doyle when she arrived at the scene of her son’s shooting. Investigations revealed no evidence of the use of a bike in the shooting.
Insp McKenna also agreed with Mr Grehan that sources other than Ms Roche had indicated that Mr Doyle shot Mr Roche. It was the fifth day of the trial. Mr Justice George Birmingham had heard legal argument in the absence of the jury on the previous day.
Det Garda Jeremiah Maloney told the court he carried out a technical examination of a blue Peugeot 307 which had been abandoned on Furry Park Road not long after Mr Roche was shot. He said that a brown paper bag was found in the rear of the driver’s foot well. Inside the bag he found a Glock semi-automatic pistol, balaclava, tea towel and a pair of gloves. The car was examined for fingerprints and firearm residue.
The trial continues.