A former Garda detective superintendent told the Special Criminal Court a senior French police officer had led him "up the garden path" during an aborted operation in Paris to identify the killers of an unarmed garda 18 years ago. Mr Edward Ryan said he believed a French detective inspector, who was acting as a liaison officer with a party of five gardai in Paris, "hadn't a clue where the suspects were".
Mr Ryan said he and four other gardai had travelled to Paris in October 1982 because it was believed two suspects wanted for the murder of Garda Patrick Reynolds were in the city. However, an operation to identify the suspects was abandoned and a further operation was mounted the following weekend.
The court has heard that during that operation in November 1982 former Garda Sgt Patrick O'Brien allegedly identified Belfast man Mr Sean "Bap" Hughes as the gunman who killed Garda Reynolds.
It was the seventh day of the trial of Mr Hughes (42), a father of three, of Albert Terrace, Belfast, who denies the capital murder of Garda Reynolds (23) at Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Co Dublin, on February 20th, 1982.
The charge carries a mandatory sentence of 40 years' imprisonment without remission on conviction.
Mr Hughes also denies robbing £62,100 from a bank in Askeaton, Co Limerick, on February 18th, 1982.
The court has heard that Garda Reynolds fell mortally wounded in the hallway of the local authority flats after he was shot by a gunman standing on the first-floor landing. The prosecution said gardai surprised a number of people with the proceeds of a bank robbery in Askeaton and a number of guns in the flat at Avonbeg Gardens. Garda Reynolds was killed by a single shot in the back as he tried to flee.
The trial continues today.