Blood on accused’s clothes matches that of dead prisoner, trial hears

Blood present on the clothing of a man accused of murdering a fellow Cork Prison inmate matched the DNA profile of the deceased, a murder trial jury has heard.

Brian Veale (31) of Dominic Street, Cork, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Graham Johnson at Cork Prison, Rathmore Road, in Cork city on May 16th, 2015.

On Monday, Counsel for the State Tim O'Leary SC read evidence from Dr Edward Connolly, a forensic scientist at Forensic Science Ireland.

The court heard Dr Connolly received Mr Veale’s clothing and footwear on May 27th so he could examine them for blood and the “possible source of blood-staining”.

Kitchen knife

The clothing received included Mr Veale’s white T-shirt, white trousers, a white vest top and a pair of white rubber shoes. Dr Connolly also received a knife recovered from the kitchen of Cork Prison.

Dr Connolly found that “heavy blood-staining” on the knife’s blade matched Mr Johnson’s DNA profile. A “low level mixed DNA profile” from at least two sources was obtained from the knife’s handle but it was unsuitable for examination, the court heard.

DNA profiles obtained from blood-staining on Mr Veale’s T-shirt, trousers and footwear matched Mr Johnson’s DNA profile, read Mr O’Leary.

There was no blood on the accused’s white vest top.

The court heard that the probability of Mr Johnson’s DNA matching someone else’s was considerably less than one in a thousand million.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and a jury of seven men and five women.