Defence addresses jury in Mark Nash murder trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Defence closing arguments were under way before the jury in Mark Nash's double-murder trial at the Central Criminal Court on 15 April 2015. The proceedings were reported on 15 April 2015.

Mark Nash was accused of murdering Sylvia Shields, aged 60, and Mary Callanan, aged 61, between 6 and 7 March 1997. Mark Nash has pleaded not guilty to murdering the women.

Defence counsel Hugh Hartnett argued that jurors had to consider admissions made by another man, subsequently withdrawn. He identified Dean Lyons as the man whom the DPP had charged after those admissions. According to Hugh Hartnett, the DPP had considered the case against Dean Lyons significant. He accused the prosecution of disregarding that issue because it was inconsistent with its case.

Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan identified three foundations for the case against Mark Nash: admissions he had made, DNA recovered from his jacket connecting him with the women, and a mark left at the scene that matched his Caterpillar boots. Brendan Grehan argued that these amounted to a compelling and highly conclusive case.

The jury had heard that Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan occupied sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman. Their home was in a house attached to St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital.