Accused told gardaí he'd been 'in and out' of Lisa Thompson house 'for the last three years', trial hears

Alison O’Riordan

When asked to account for the presence of his DNA on a blood-stained blind cord found wrapped around mother-of-two Lisa Thompson's neck, the man accused of her murder told gardaí that he had been "in and out" of her house "for the last three years", the Central Criminal Court has heard.

A forensic scientist told the trial last Friday that the blind cord contained a mixed DNA profile for which murder accused Brian McHugh could not be excluded as a minor contributor.

The jury has also heard that DNA recovered from jewellery found in the defendant's home also matched that of Ms Thompson.

Evidence has been given that Ms Thompson - who was stabbed 11 times in the chest - was dealing prescription drugs from her home and that she and Mr McHugh (40) had a "bit of a fling" in the year before she died.

The trial had also heard that gardaí searching Ms Thompson's home found thousands of prescription tablets worth nearly €50,000 hidden in her attic.

Mr McHugh with an address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Thompson (52) at Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun in Dublin 11 on May 9th, 2022.

The jury has heard that Ms Thompson was found inside the rear door of her home with multiple stab wounds to her chest and a window blind cord wrapped around her neck.

A pathologist has also given evidence that Ms Thompson's death occurred because of a combination of ligature strangulation causing asphyxia and multiple stab wounds to the left side of the chest.

Detective Garda Nicola Duffy today told prosecution counsel, David Perry BL, that during Mr McHugh's interviews at Ballymun Garda Station in July 2022, officers invoked Sections 18 and 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, where a court may draw inferences from a person's failure or refusal to account for certain objects or their presence at a particular place.

Gardaí had asked Mr McHugh to account for his DNA on the blind cord that was found wrapped around the deceased's neck on May 11th.

The accused man replied: "I've been going over to that house for the last three years; three years on and off going over to that house".

Asked by detectives when was the last time he was there, Mr McHugh said before his birthday in January.

The accused said his family members could corroborate this including his mother, brother and sister.

Gardaí put it to him that this "still didn't explain how his DNA was present". Mr McHugh replied: "The last three years I'm in and out of the house".

"It does not explain fully how your DNA is on the cord around Ms Thompson's neck?" pressed gardaí, to which Mr McHugh replied that the blind cord was "on the back door" and he had been walking in that door for the last few years.

When asked to account for his DNA on Ms Thompson's jewellery, which was seized by gardaí from the defendant's home at Cairn Court, Mr McHugh made no comment.

The accused was asked by gardaí to account for his presence at Sandyhill Gardens between 1.25am and 2.50am on May 9th, 2022 as depicted on CCTV footage. Mr McHugh made no comment.

The accused also made no comment when asked by officers to account for his presence with a named woman at an Applegreen Service Station on St Margaret's Road in Swords between 3.05am and 3.41am on May 9th, 2022 as depicted in CCTV footage, where they had both arrived and left the location in a Hyundai Tucson.

Mr McHugh also had no comment to make for his presence with the named woman at the same Applegreen Service Station between 4.04am and 4.49am on May 9th, 2022 as depicted in CCTV footage.

The accused refused to sign the memo of interview and was charged with the murder of Ms Thompson on July 13th, 2022.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC, the detective was asked whether gardai were aware at the time of the interviews that Detective Garda Cathal Connolly had identified the accused on May 15th, 2022, in CCTV footage at Sandyhill Gardens. Detective Garda Duffy said they were.

The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and a jury of four men and eight women.