CLOTHING FOUND IN a bag at the home of a man accused of murdering a man with cerebral palsy contained blood stains with DNA that matched the deceased, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Philip Dunbar (20) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 23-year-old Adam ‘Floater’ Muldoon in Butler Park, Jobstown Park, Tallaght on 22 or 23 June 2018. Muldoon’s body was found in the park on the morning of 23 June.

Rodney Lakes of Forensic Science Ireland today told Pauline Walley SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions that he examined clothing that had been found in a bag at Dunbar’s home. The bag contained tracksuit bottoms, a black t-shirt, white socks and a pair of runners.

On the tracksuit bottoms the scientist said he saw two obvious areas of blood staining on the right hand pocket and lower left leg. DNA profiles generated from both areas matched that of Muldoon.

He also found a mixed DNA profile from the inside waistband of the tracksuit bottoms. One of those profiles had all the elements of the accused’s DNA and the scientist concluded that the most likely explanation is that the profiles came from Dunbar and three other unknown people.

A blood stain on the black t-shirt matched that of Muldoon as did blood staining on the outer part of the right runner and on the toe of one of the socks.

Under cross examination Lakes told defence counsel Giollaiosa O’Lideadha SC that he also examined blood from the clothing of another man who has not been named in the trial and is not before the court.

Lakes said DNA from the blood stain on that man’s clothing matched its owner’s DNA.

He told O’Lideadha that he understood this man was considered a person of interest by gardaí because he was seen in the area that night with blood on his clothes.

Detective Garda Jennifer Brogan told Walley that as part of the investigation gardaí searched Dunbar’s home and seized four mobile phones. Detective Garda Brogan said she found two of the phones in a pillow case in one bedroom.

Comments are closed as legal proceedings are ongoing.