The jury in the trial of Mr Thomas Mullen, accused of running an Anglo-Irish drug ring, has heard expert evidence claiming to link him with the operation.
Ms Elizabeth McClenan, an expert in phonetics, linked his voice as recorded in a police interview with two short voice-mail messages left on his co-defendant's mobile phone on June 12th, 1996.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, in London, she stated: "The same voice is heard in both calls. Features of vowel and consonant pronunciation matched across the samples." But, she added, "comparison of the voice of Thomas Mullen was hampered by the lack of controlled voice samples of his voice". In a scale of +1 to +5, she gave the match a +1 score, saying it was "possible the data did not exclude the possibility that the speakers in the sample may be the same person".
Mr Mullen (26), of Finchley, north London, denies one count of conspiracy to export heroin. His co-defendant, Mr Turhan Mustafa, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to export heroin.