Courts / Dublin / Report

Not a 'shred of evidence' that Derek Boyd's girlfriend knew nature of injury to deceased man, defence tell trial

Summary

The defence for Derek Boyd's girlfriend, Chantelle Harcourt, argued that there is no evidence she was aware of the severity of the injury to the deceased, Mark Carroll, when she gave a statement to gardai. Harcourt faces charges of impeding Boyd's prosecution, with the prosecution claiming she knew about the events and lied to gardai. Boyd testified that he used a knife in self-defence after Carroll threatened him, but the prosecution claims it was a premeditated attack. Defence counsel John Byrne SC stated that lying to gardai is not a crime unless it impedes the arrest of the principal offender. He argued that there was no evidence Harcourt witnessed the altercation or knew the extent of the injury. The defence also highlighted CCTV footage supporting Harcourt's claim that she was upstairs during the incident. Byrne questioned the prosecution's assertion that Harcourt and Boyd conspired to cover up the events, stating there was no evidence of this. He concluded that the jury should acquit Harcourt if they could not be satisfied she was trying to frustrate gardai's actions. Chantelle Harcourt pleaded not guilty. Derek Boyd pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Not a 'shred of evidence' that Derek Boyd's girlfriend knew nature of injury to deceased man, defence tell trial. Charges or matters: murdering Mark Carroll (34) at his home on June 9, 2024. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• June 9 2024 Incident
• June 9, 2024 Incident
• 2026-07-20 Publication

Why: In summary, Mr Byrne asked the panel to ask themselves whether they could be reasonably satisfied that Ms Harcourt was doing her utmost best to frustrate the actions of gardai "because if the answer to that question is no, you must acquit". CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial

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Read the original CNI report