Garda witness escorted from Peter Butterly murder trial

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

Members of the public were permitted to re-enter the Special Criminal Court after a surveillance garda witness was escorted from the building through the custody area. The proceedings were reported on 30 October 2014.

The public had been excluded to protect the officer’s physical characteristics from exposure. The surveillance evidence could not be published in order to protect the National Surveillance Unit’s methodology.

Presiding judge Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy permitted the public to return to hear evidence from members of the Emergency Response Unit. However, the report said those armed gardaí’s evidence might yet be inadmissible. The court had heard that legality of arrest was a key issue in the trial.

Dean Evans, Edward McGrath and Sharif Kelly have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Peter Butterly. Mr Evans and Mr McGrath have also pleaded not guilty to firearm offences. Mr Butterly, 35, was shot dead in the car park of the Huntsman Inn at Gormanston, Co Meath, on 6 March 2013. The firearm charges concern the same location and date.

The trial was continuing in the non-jury court before Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy, Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan and Judge Cormac Dunne.