Shane Rossiter A murder trial has heard that the accused told his mother he had nothing to do with the death of Shane Rossiter.
Maurice Power (31) of Dranganbeg, Kilmoyler, Cahir has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Rossiter (29) in Tipperary on October 17 2012.
Mother of the accused, Janet Fullop was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court today.
Mr Dominic McGinn SC defending confirmed with Janet Fullop that she had told gardai previously about the relationship between her son and Shane Rossiter.
“I told gardai about my son and families relationship with the Rossiter family and how all our children grew up together. When the kids were small we would have been very close.”
Ms Fullop told the court that she had persuaded her son to contact gardai following Shane Rossiters death.
“I rang Maurice and persuaded him to go to the station – I told him it was extremely important.”
Mr McGinn asked Ms Fullop if the accused had told his mother he had nothing to do with the death of Shane Rossiter, to which she replied ‘yes’.
Mr Anthony Sammon SC prosecuting confirmed with Detective Garda Burgan that the accused told gardai that he took a chip from a private security camera.
In an interview which took place on the 14 of December 2012 at 11.04am, the accused was asked if he had called to Sharon O’Donnells house.
The accused told gardai in interview ‘I asked her about the camera and took the chip out of it because it would have shown I had the car after I said I had sold it.’
When asked what he had done with the chip, the accused told gardai ‘I burned it’.
Under cross-examination, Garda Lorraine Hogan rejected the suggestion by Brian O Shea BL that the accused had been threatened off camera.
“I have to put it to you that there was a strategy to talk to Mr Power off camera in garda interview. Mr Powers concerns were that his mother was going to be arrested and secondly that his child would be taken into care.”
The trial continues before a jury of seven women and five men with Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy presiding.
