The prosecution has finished its evidence in the trial of a father and his three sons who deny beating a man to death after he fired shots at their home.
Paul Bradley (54) and his sons Jason (20), Dean (24), and Ryan (18), of Liscarne Gardens, Dublin 22, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Neil Reilly (36) at Esker Glebe in Lucan, Dublin on January 18th, 2017.
The prosecution says that Mr Reilly fired two shots at the Bradley home shortly before 4am leading to a chase that ended with him being beaten to death and run over by a car.
A pathologist told the trial the deceased had chop wounds to the head, torso and limbs and crush injuries consistent with being run over.
On the final day of evidence the jury of six women and five men heard that a text message sent by Paul Bradley the day after Mr Reilly’s death was retrieved from his phone.
Garda Mark Rowntree said the text, sent at 1.32am on January 19th, 2017 read: “I ran after him with his gun, I got him with no gun.”
The witness agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending Paul Bradley, that in 2016 Paul Bradley asked him for advice about one of his sons who was involved in dealing drugs.
This was a source of great concern to Mr Bradley. The garda further agreed that Mr Bradley is a hard-working, decent man.
Detective Sergeant Damien Gannon told prosecuting counsel Paul Murray SC that gardaí searched for a large knife or implement that could have been used to inflict the injuries on Mr Reilly.
They searched a garage owned by the Bradleys on the Naas Road, the Bradley home and the area around where Mr Reilly was found with his injuries.
They found nothing that matched what they were looking for.
Previously, Matthias Kelly SC, for Dean Bradley, said his client accepts that he was the driver of a BMW that struck Neil Reilly with the result that Mr Reilly, who his client says was already on the ground, went under the car.
Brendan Grehan SC, defending Paul Bradley, told the jury that his client admits that he was the driver of a Mercedes that followed Mr Reilly's Mazda car in the early hours of the morning.
He accepts that the Mazda crashed and Mr Bradley’s SUV crashed into it at Esker Glebe.
Mr Bradley then got out of his vehicle and kicked Neil Reilly who was "involved in an altercation" with his son Jason Bradley.
Defence barristers for each of the accused said they do not intend to call any evidence.
Justice Paul Coffey told the jury to return on Thurday.