Woman accused of being getaway driver gave no reply when asked by gardaí to account for fingerprint

Alison O'Riordan

A HSE drugs addiction counsellor, who is accused of being the getaway driver for the murderer of mother-of-two Lisa Thompson, gave no reply when asked by gardaí to account for her fingerprint on a jewellery valuation certificate found in her vehicle and which was linked to the deceased, a jury has heard.

It is the prosecution case that the accused Deirdre Arnold (42) drove murderer Brian McHugh to Ms Thompson's home at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun, where she waited outside "for well over an hour" before driving him away from the scene and later checking him into a hotel in an effort to help him evade prosecution.

Detective Garda Enda Ledwit told Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, that his colleague had arrested Ms Arnold on suspicion of the murder of Ms Thompson on July 11th, 2022, and she was conveyed to Clontarf Garda Station, where a DNA sample and fingerprints were taken from her.

The witness said he conducted an inference interview with Ms Arnold on July 12th and gardaí invoked Sections 18 and 19 of the Criminal Justice Act, where a court may draw inferences from her failure or refusal to account for certain objects and presence at a location.

Ms Arnold was told by the detective that he believed her possession of a jewellery valuation certificate, which was a receipt for an engagement ring bought for Ms Thompson by Gerard Donohue, might be attributable to the accused's commission in one or more suspected offences.

Gerard Donohue gave evidence today that he was engaged to Ms Thompson about 20 years ago. The witness confirmed that he and Ms Thompson had gone to McDowells Jewellers on O'Connell Street, where he bought her a ring. He said he had left the receipt, which was dated December 2nd, 2006, with Ms Thompson.

Detective Garda Michael McGuinness has also given evidence that he searched a silver Hyundai Tucson on May 17th, 2022, which had been seized from Briarfield Grove in Kilbarrack. The detective located a jewellery valuation certificate in the centre console of the vehicle between the gear stick and the handbrake. He said the certificate was from McDowells Jewellers for an "18 carat gold three-stone twist" ring valued at €1,795, which had been signed by Gerard Donohue.

Ms Arnold was informed by Det Gda Ledwit in the interview that the jewellery valuation certificate was found on May 17th, 2022 in a silver Hyundai Tucson vehicle, which was registered to Deirdre Arnold of Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack in Dublin 5.

The detective told Ms Arnold that it was his belief the Tucson had been involved in the commission of the murder of Ms Thompson.

He said the accused made no comment when asked to account for the certificate found in the Tucson vehicle on May 17th.

Ms Arnold was then asked to account for her fingerprint, which was found on the jewellery valuation certificate. The witness said the accused made no comment.

Ms Arnold was also asked by gardai to account for her presence at Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun on May 9th, 2022, between 1.24am and 2.50am, when she was in possession of a silver Hyundai Tucson. The accused again made no comment.

Ms Arnold's barrister previously made an admission that Ms Arnold was the registered owner of the Hyundai Tucson vehicle.

Gardaí went on to ask Ms Arnold to account for her presence at an Applegreen filling station on St Margaret's Road in Swords between 3.04am and 3.41am on May 9th, 2022. Ms Arnold made no comment.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Patrick Gageby SC, Det Gda Ledwit agreed that his client was originally charged with assisting an offender who had committed an arrestable offence.

However, Mr Gageby said that three weeks ago, a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice was added to the indictment by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The witness accepted that this was the case.

Mr Gageby today made an admission of fact to the court on behalf of his client. He said the defence admits that Brian McHugh had murdered the deceased Lisa Thompson and that McHugh had been duly convicted by a jury last month.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Patrick McGrath and a jury of six men and five women.

Deirdre Arnold, with an address at Briarfield Grove, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, is charged that on a date between May 9th and 10th, 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Brian McHugh, a person who had committed an arrestable offence, namely murder, whilst knowing or believing Brian McHugh to be guilty of the offence or of some other arrestable offence.

Ms Arnold is also charged that on a date between May 9th and 10th, 2022, both dates inclusive, at a location within the State, acted or embarked upon a course of conduct which had a tendency to and was intended to pervert the course of public justice.

Ms Arnold has pleaded not guilty to the two counts.