A former army sergeant accused of murdering Kildare woman Phyllis Murphy almost 23 years ago has told a jury that it is "absolutely impossible" that there is a DNA match between his blood and semen found in her body.
John Crerar (54), a father-of-five of Woodside Park, Kildare, has denied the murder of Philomena Murphy (23), who was known as Phyllis, on a date unknown between 22 December 1979 and January 18th 1980 within the state.
Ms Murphy's body was found under trees near the Wicklow Gap on January 18th 1980.
Thecourt heard that Mr Crerar was first questioned on January 16th 1980 and gave a voluntaryblood sample sometime after, on a date the prosecution say was 6th March 1980 but Mr Crerar says it was early February 1980.
The accused man said the DNA match was "absolutely impossible". "To me, I didn't understand DNA coming into this court room; I heard a lot about it since and I still don't understand it - all I can say is it's absolutely impossible", he said.
He said the date he gave the sample "definitely" was not the 6th March 1980, because at the time he gave it, his wife was due their fourth child and shewas pregnant when she came to the garda station with him. It was "definitely not" 6th March, he said, because their daughter was born on February 16th.
The accused contradicted the evidence of Patrick Bolger, a former security guard at the Black & Decker plant who told the court that John Crerar did not turn up for his security shift at the plant until 9pm on December 22nd 1979.
It was put to the accused that Patrick Bolger originally covered for him in a statement in 1980 because the security guards knew that if they were found to be disobeying strict rules requiring two guards to be on site at all times, they would befired.
"Mr Bolger did not cover for me", John Crerar said. He said Bolger was "absolutely wrong" to say he, Mr Crerar, had not turned up for work until 9pm. Asked why Bolger would invent such a story, he said, "It took a long time for him to invent it; Icouldn't give an explanation as to why he did."
In her evidence, Ms Carmel Crerar, the accused man's wife, told Mr Roger Sweetman SC that her husband returned home on December 22nd before leaving for the 8pm shift at Black & Decker. She said it was sometime after 6:30pm and he did not have time to eathis dinner.