Gardai are examining a car they believe was used in the killing of Mr Thomas Reilly at the Premier Dairies car-park in Church town, Dublin, on Wednesday. The car, a silver Volkswagen Golf, was found yesterday morning near the Glenside public house at Landscape Road, less than a mile from the scene of the killing. Its 99 D number plates were found to be false.
While it was initially thought that the killers' car was a Mitsubishi Lancer, gardai are now confident that they have the correct vehicle. A Garda spokeswoman said yesterday it was being examined by technical experts.
Efforts were being concentrated on the search for fingerprints and other DNA-indicating clues - such as hair - which could connect the car to individuals who may come to the attention of the gardai.
Meanwhile it has been confirmed that the security camera overlooking the car park was not working at the time of the killing. However, a watchman employed by the dairies did speak to the killers, initially refusing them entry to the car-park, but later admitting them to an unused corner when they said they were waiting for a friend and did not want to cause a traffic hazard on the narrow street.
"It appears their disguise was to act as normally as possible," one source said, adding: "It isn't known if they knew the security camera wasn't working, but it is unlikely to bother them if they were prepared to chat with the watchman, not wear gloves and not burn the car afterwards".
A spokesman for Premier Dairies also said that media reports suggesting the dead man was to receive a redundancy payment of £100,000 yesterday were greatly exaggerated.
The spokesman indicated that under the redundancy payment scheme, which would be paid in several weeks, an employee with 15 years' service would receive a sum "more in the region of £50,000".
The officer in charge of the investigation, Supt Tom Conway of Tallaght Garda station, acknowledged yesterday that Mr Reilly was known to the gardai. "That is, he was known to some gardai," said Supt Conway, who warned of the danger of "over-excited" speculation on the dead man's links to drug-dealing.
Supt Conway also appealed to anyone who may have seen a silver Volkswagen Golf in the vicinity of the Glenside Pub or the Premier Dairies car-park to contact the incident room at Tallaght Garda Station.
"We are very interested in speaking to anyone who saw the two men either with the car or elsewhere on the evening before the killing, that is March 30th, or on the morning of March 31st before or after 9 a.m."
The telephone number of the incident room at Tallaght Garda station is (01) 459 6596.
