A trial has begun in the case of a County Tyrone man accused of murdering Damien Heagney, whose remains were recovered from a reservoir, having not been seen alive for seven months.
Stephen Eugene McCourt (41) previously of Gartland Terrace. Dromore then Riverview Augher, denies murdering the victim between 31 December 2021 and 6 January 2022.
Opening the prosecuting case at Dungannon Crown Court , Sam Magee KC explained Mr Heagney (49) was last seen on 29 December 2021 and his car stopped being used two days later.
In July 2022, Mr Heagney’s GP practice contacted police as he hadn’t collected his medication in-person since 7 December 2021.
Until May 2022 it was lifted by another person, who had authority to collect on Mr Heagney’s behalf
Police had spoken to Mr Heagney around mid-December 2021, following the discovery of drugs, which he insisted were prescribed.
Officers continued to investigate but Mr Heagney couldn’t be found.
Initially police treated him as a high-risk missing person, issuing an appeal for assistance to locate him.
Enquiries showed his last ATM transaction occurred in Cookstown on 30 December 2021 and the following day Mr Heagney’s BMW was spotted traveling toward Omagh.
His vehicle broke down and a car-recovery operator brought him to McCourt’s home.
“We say it was after this time Mr Heagney met the defendant,” said Mr McGee.
On 5 January 2022 McCourt’s Citroen Berlingo van was in the Pomeroy area, then seen parked near Cappagh Reservoir.
Police were unable to contact McCourt but spoke with his father who said the van “meant nothing to him”.
When McCourt was spoken to he denied driving the van or being in Pomeroy, suggesting it may have been his father.
On 7 January 2022 McCourt arranged for Mr Heagney’s BMW to be removed from his home and left in a layby at the Ballygawley to Omagh Road, where it remained until August 2022.
A witness later told police he observed items being placed into the Berlingo Van including hessian sacks and oil drums.
Police launched a murder inquiry and on 10 August 2022 underwater divers entered Cappagh Reservoir and located a package of human remains wrapped in sheepwire.
A second package was discovered a short time later.
A post-mortem was conducted but the pathologist was unable to determine a conclusive cause of death due to decomposition.
Identification was by dental records and fingerprints.
The court heard Mr Heagney’s body had been dismembered however a metal tip was found in the skull, consistent with stabbing.
There were also stab wounds to the limbs and a rock had been used to weigh down one of the packages
Police attended McCourt’s Dromore home which he had since vacated and blood smear was located on a doorframe.
A set of bolt-cutters were also recovered.
Tests revealed the sheepwire had been cut with the bolt-cutters but no DNA or fingerprints were found.
The blood swabs matched Mr Heagney and McCourt was arrested in October 2022.
In a pre-prepared statement, he denied murdering Mr Heagney who, “Would have been in my property on different occasions from September 2021 to early January 2022. I was in Turkey and Scotland for seven weeks in the later part of 2021 and Damien Heagney had access to and lived in my flat. Due to my lifestyle activities, I’m not always in control of my vehicles and other people use them. Due to Damien Heagney’s lifestyle and association with certain groups I didn’t want his vehicle at my address long-term hence my actions to have it removed.”
Concluding the case opening, Mr McGee told the jury. “Mr Heagney was last seen in the defendant’s company. Mr Heagney’s car was being moved around after the prosecution say he was dead. It remains to be seen what explanation there could be for that remarkable coincidence.”
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