Mark Nash trial hears first part of closing speeches

The prosecution counsel in the trial of a man accused of murdering two women in Grangegorman in Dublin 18 years ago has told the jury that if the accused is not guilty, there are a series of “truly amazing coincidences”.

Mark Nash (42), who has last addresses at Prussia Street and Clonliffe Road in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of Sylvia Shields (60) and Mary Callanan (61) between March 6th and 7th, 1997.

The trial heard the women were living in sheltered accommodation in a house attached to St Brendan's Psychiatric Hospital in Grangegorman at the time.

The jury previously heard that a jacket belonging to the accused and heavily bloodstained clothing and bedding found at the scene were examined in the same room at the laboratory six weeks apart.

DNA profile

During the course of the trial the court also heard that a profile taken from the button threads of the right sleeve of a black velvet jacket belonging to Mr Nash matched Ms Shields’s DNA profile and a DNA profile obtained from a “particle” found inside the seam of the right sleeve of the jacket also matched that of Ms Callanan.

In reference to this, Brendan Grehan SC for the State put it to the jury that there was a suggestion put by counsel for the defence of DNA blowing around the lab like "snow in a blizzard".

Mr Grehan will continuing his closing speech to the jury in the morning.