Man’s fingerprint matched to pizza box, court hears

Forensics expert gives evidence in trial over alleged tiger kidnapping in Co Louth

A forensics expert matched a man’s fingerprint to a torn piece of pizza box which was found at the scene of an alleged tiger kidnapping, a court has heard.

The evidence was presented at the trial of another man, Jonathan Gill (35), who is accused of a kidnapping a Drogheda postal worker, his partner and their 10-week-old baby daughter, before robbing more than €600,000 from the man's workplace.

It is the State’s case that Mr Gill was one of a group of five who were involved in holding the family hostage in their own home, before moving them to a shed about a 90-minute drive away.

Mr Gill, of Malahide Road, Swords, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning Warren Nawn, Jean Marie Nawn and their baby in Drogheda, Co Louth, between August 1st and August 2nd, 2011.

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On Wednesday, the forensics expert, Garda Conor Kiely, said he was given two sets of fingerprints and palm-prints bearing the names Mark McCarthy and David Burke.

The prints had been taken on November 15th, 2011 at Dundalk Garda station, he said.

Pizza box

Mr Kiely said he compared these prints to a fingerprint found on a pizza box which had been discarded in the area of north Co Dublin where the Nawn family had been held overnight.

The garda told Vincent Heneghan BL, prosecuting, that the fingerprint matched that of Mark McCarthy.

He said that no other forensic evidence was found on any of the items he was asked to examine.

The trial continues before Judge Elma Sheahan and a jury of seven men and five women.

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times