Frederick 'Freddie' Thompson remanded pending murder verdict

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

Frederick 'Freddie' Thompson was remanded in custody pending a verdict in his murder trial at the Special Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 1 June 2018.

He has pleaded not guilty to murdering David Douglas on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin, on 1 July 2016.

After closing speeches, Mr Justice Tony Hunt remanded Thompson until 24 July, when the court was to deliver judgment. Earlier, he had rejected a defence application for a directed verdict of not guilty. He was sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge Flann Brennan.

The prosecution asked the three-judge court to convict Thompson, but did not claim he carried out the shooting. The court heard that his DNA was found in two alleged spotter cars and that detectives identified him in CCTV footage as the driver of one car. The prosecution case was that four vehicles and their occupants operated together.

For Thompson, Michael O’Higgins SC argued that the identification evidence was unreliable and that the Fiesta’s drivers were constantly changing. He said Thompson’s movements could be considered suspicious, but the case fell short of proving murder. He also argued there was no established link between Thompson breaking a phone and the murder, citing earlier instances of him dismantling phones, and said his client was a person who did not engage with gardaí.