Court told Belleek man’s DNA found on car bomb

THE Crown Court has heard that DNA on an explosive device placed unted the car of an off-duty policeman matched that of a Fermanagh man.
A forensic expert who examined the remains of the bomb located a DNA profile matching that of Peter Granaghan (41) from Blackroad Park, Belleek, the court hear.
The off duty police officer discovered the device, which had been attached to the underside of his Cherokee jeep after playing a round of golf at Shandon Park in Belfast on June 1 2019.
Army explosive experts were called to the scene to carry out a controlled explosion and remnants of the device were taken to the forensic science labortory for analysis.
The Crown contends that Peter McGrenaghan’s DNA was found on a piece of wire and battery connector which indicated that he was in ‘possession and involved in’ the device being made.
The 41 year old from Belleek has denied all three charges.
The forensic scientist told the court that he swabbed a number of component items he receive from the device.
He said, “Seven areas were sampled for DNA analysis. No profiles were obtained from six of the samples.
“One sample, from the wires and battery connector gave a partial profile matching that of Peter Granaghan.”
He went on, “In order to help the court evaluate the finding, I have considered two possibilities. One is that the DNA cane from Peter Granaghan and two that the DNA came from an unknown related to the individual.
“A calculation made with reference to Northern Ireland population survey data shows that this finding is at least one billion times more likely to arise under the first proposition, that is, that the DNA came from Peter Granaghan.”
A crime scene officer who also gave evidence confirmed the presence of the explosive substance TNT, which the court heard was packed into the device.
Under cross -examination by the defence barrister he was also asked about part of the investigation that centred on Granaghan’s home.
He confirmed forensic swabs were taken both from Granaghan’s home and his car to look for ‘explosive traces’, both of which produced ‘negative results’. He also confirmed that analysis of tools taken from the car produced negative results.
The trial continues.