Jury hears Mark Nash’s letter of retraction of murders confession

A jury has been read a letter of retraction written by a man who previously gave gardaí a statement admitting to the murder of two women in Grangegorman in 1997.

Mark Nash (42) who has last addresses at Prussia Street and Clonliffe Road in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of Sylvia Shields (60) and Mary Callanan (61) between March 6th and March 7th, 1997.

Earlier this week, a jury of six men and five women heard Mr Nash gave a statement to gardai in Mill Street Garda Station in Galway on August 16th, 1997 where he wished to volunteer information in relation to a double murder he "committed in Dublin five months ago."

On Friday, James McHugh, former assistant commissioner of An Garda Siochana, with responsibility for the South East region in August and September 1997, read an undated letter of retraction from Mr Nash, in which he claimed “media reports, teletext and radio” accounted for his knowledge of the murder of two women in a house in Grangegorman.

In the letter, Mr Nash said he had nothing to do with the murders and would like his statement withdrawn, calling it the “bamblings of a very unsteady man” who “would have taken the rap for killing the pope if he had the knowledge”.

On September 1st, 1997, Mr McHugh - who was conducting an inquiry into the Grangegorman killings - received a four page written document from solicitor Peter Allen, on behalf of Mark Nash.

The statement read: “I wish to apologise to gardaí in the first instance for wasting police time, as you know on August 16 I made a statement claiming responsibility for the murders in Grangegorman some months ago. I wish to withdraw any and all statements and diagrams relating to Grangegorman.”

Mr McHugh told the court Mr Nash said in his statement that when he made his statement to the gardaí in Galway, he was “in serious mental anguish” and “in part was prompted by gardai in relation to certain aspects of the murders.”

“I was in the least shocked that my statement was taken seriously but I understand it has to be taken into account,” Mr Nash wrote.

Mr McHugh read from the statement to the court, how Mr Nash’s explanation of his knowledge of the Grangegorman crimes were based on “media reports, teletext and radio” accounts which gave considerable information on the crimes which he said at the time he took an interest in as “he was living in the area”.

The court also heard Mr Nash was working as an advertising executive at the time, which aided his knowledge of the event.

“I could hardly fail but to take notice,” Mr Nash’s statement said.

Mr McHugh read from the statement how Mr Nash also recalled overhearing “two gardai openly talking about the killings” in Prussia Street. “I heard a new television had been left untouched, they even went so far as to discuss the brand and I overheard their conversation clearly.”

On Wednesday, the jury were given two copies of sketches drawn by the accused on August 17th, 1997, the first was of the inside of the house, detailing the rooms at Orchard View where Mr Nash said at the time he had murdered the two women.

Mr Nash explained his knowledge of the inside of the house at Orchard View in Grangegorman in the statement. “As to the lay out of the house, I viewed many properties which were in the Grangegorman area, some which were end terraced areas, so I drew the layout to go with what I saw in houses elsewhere, ” it said.

“As with the house itself, three days after the killings, I got a taxi to work and the taxi man drove past where the killing had taken place. I recall he slowed down to 2/3 miles per hour and pointed to where the women were killed and I took a good look at house including the entrances and the side path to the house. The taxi man gave his opinion as to what happened.”

Mr McHugh also said Mr Nash wrote in his statement that he asked for his solicitor on three occasions while in Mill Street Garda station in Galway but was told one was not available and the gardai told him “it was ok to continue.”

The court also heard how Mr Nash complied a list of alleged leading questions asked by the gardai in Galway, received weeks later by Mr McHugh.

The court were also read a letter send to Sarah Jane Doyle by Mr Nash after he assaulted her in Roscommon on August 16th, 1997.

The first letter was attached to a second envelope which contained £150, and was addressed to the “head injuries” in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

Mr McHugh read from the letter where Mr Nash confessed his love for Ms Doyle saying: “I went mad. This is the second time I’ve gone this way and it lead to the same thing before, I’m insane and I don’t deserve to live, I’m so sorry to all of you and by the time this reaches you I will be dead.

“I f**king flipped, I can’t think, I’ve gone mad and I can’t help myself, who would have thought it could have ever possibly gone this way. Sorry Sarah I shouldn’t say it but I love you, good bye Mark.”

Mr McHugh recounted how, in Mountjoy Prison on September 8th, Mr Nash became emotional and started to weep when the letter was read to him, saying: “I was in a state of duress and guilt-ridden.”

The trial continues.