FINGERPRINTS sent to Interpol by gardai investigating a 42 year old man accused of having cannabis resin worth £150,000 identified him as another person, Cork District Court was told.
Mr Nigel Dawson, of Black Knock, Kilmeaden, Co Waterford, who is charged with having cannabis resin for supply at Gaol Cross, Cork, on August 1st, denied under oath he was Michael Charles Scully from Athy, Co Kildare, whose name was supplied by Interpol.
Mr Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said he was making an application for bail for Mr Dawson, who had medical problems, but Insp Jim Griffin, prosecuting, said he was opposing the application strongly.
Det Garda Mary King, of the Drugs Squad, said gardai had made extensive inquiries about Mr Dawson, and she now believed the person before the court was not Nigel Dawson.
A search was made of the births registers in relation to the date of birth given by the defendant in both Ireland and England, and no such person could be found.
He had also given Black Knock as his address when arrested, but he had moved from that address last February and was living elsewhere.
At no time during the interviews in the Garda station had Mr Dawson changed his date of birth or his address, said Del Garda King, and it was only when he was visited later by gardai in Cork Prison in relation to his address that he gave Woodstown as his correct one.
Det Garda King said she made inquiries through Interpol about Dawson and had sent it his details and fingerprints, She did not send a photograph.
The Interpol office in Dublin had informed her the fingerprints had shown the accused was not Nigel Dawson, but Michael Charles Scully, from Athy, Co Kildare.
Scully's date of birth was September 18th, 1953, and the date given by Dawson was November 18th, 1953.
In evidence, Mr Dawson denied he was Scully. He said he was born in Stoke on Trent and had lived in Ireland for the past 12 years, four of which were spent in Waterford.
He was living in Black Knock, but had to move because the house was being sold. He was renting a cottage in Woodstown but stayed with a friend in Black Knock as he did not want to be on his own because he had medical problems. He had a triple bypass operation 16 months ago. He feared he would be taken out of prison in a bodybag.
He said his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Higgins. This was the same name listed as the mother of Scully on the birth certificate handed into court.
He told Insp Griffin he had never used the name Scully and did not know how his fingerprints matched someone else's name.
Judge Terence Finn said the evidence by the prosecution cast a grave doubt on the identity of the defendant. He refused the bail application.