Graham Dwyer trial told of Wicklow flying club records

A model aircraft flying club in Roundwood, of which Graham Dwyer was a member, did not hold any event on the day Elaine O'Hara disappeared, a jury at the Central Criminal Court has been told.

John Flynn, one of the owners of the Roundwood Model Aeronautical Club, was asked by Sean Guerin SC, for the prosecution, to check the club’s diaries to see if there was any flying event on August 22nd, 2012.

Mr Flynn said it was a Wednesday and so there was no event.

Mr Dwyer (42), an architect from Kerrymount Close in Foxrock, is charged with murdering childcare worker Elaine O’Hara (36) on August 22nd, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty.

Ms O’Hara’s remains were found in forestry on Kilakee Mountain, Rathfarnham, on September 13th, 2013.

Video clips of Mr Dwyer at the Roundwood club allegedly on August 19th 2012, the club’s family day, were shown to the jury, including footage of him with his family. Another clip showed Mr Dwyer allegedly on June 24th 2012, flying an electric plane, painted blue with black and white, and making his aircraft fly in loop the loops.

Evidence was also given of his entry in the East Coast Scale Competition on June 11th, 2011 when he came fifth of six entrants.

Chris Clarke of the Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland identified Mr Dwyer’s membership records. They showed that he joined the council in 2000 and was given the membership number, IRL3453. He confirmed that this number also formed part of one of his two email addresses.

Siobhán McEvitt, manager at A & D Wejchert, the architect’s office in Dublin where Mr Dwyer worked, told the court records showed Mr Dwyer appeared to have worked a normal eight-hour day on August 22nd, 2012.

“I have no means of verifying it ... but it looks like he worked a normal day,” Ms McEvitt said.

She also agreed from the records, Mr Dwyer worked an eight-hour day on August 23rd.

Asked by Mr Justice Tony Hunt about the input of staff into their time sheets, Ms McEvitt said she would send them a blank time sheet to fill in, to help with her records.

“So it is not compiled without some input from the person with whom it concerns?” the judge asked.

“That’s right,” Ms McKevitt said.

David Lannigan, director at A & D Wejchert, gave evidence of Mr Dwyer’s interest in cars and said he recalled him driving an Audi, a Porsche and a “jeep” at different times. He said Mr Dwyer was “particularly skilled” at 3D visualisation and artist’s impressions and was also “very skilled” with computers. He also said directors at the firm had sustained a 50 per cent pay cut since 2009.

Mr Lannigan said he believed Mr Dwyer attended a meeting at Leopardstown Race Course in the late afternoon of August 16th, 2012.

He said directors could be called to meetings occasionally at short notice and might not tell staff at reception. He was asked about events in Dublin and Poland on various dates and confirmed Mr Dwyer attended them.

Under cross-examination, he also said he was aware Mr Dwyer normally left work around 4.45pm to “let the childminder go”.

Patrick Kenny, of the Shankill Radio Flying Club, of which Mr Dwyer was also a member, said he told gardaí about a dead sheep found 10 or 15 feet behind their clubhouse, a 30 foot container.

He said he was reasonably sure he had seen it in early summer 2012. He said he saw the carcass and “wool spread all over the place”.

Mr Kenny also gave evidence of taking a friend, Denis Brennan, to Loughlinstown hospital from the club’s grounds after he injured himself on a propeller blade. They both met another friend there, Phelim Redmond, who confirmed the date was July 25th, 2012.

Mr Brennan also confirmed the date he was injured and said he had been questioned by gardaí about the dead sheep on the day Mr Dwyer was arrested. He initially didn’t recall the sheep, he said, but after talking to other members, it came back to him and he included it in a statement to gardaí last month.

Asked by Remy Farrell SC, for Mr Dwyer, if he had been “prompted” by gardaí, he said they had not asked him about the sheep at all. Rather, he told them.

The trial continues.