Woman accused of mopping up scene of alleged fatal stabbing told gardaí she saw no blood in property

Alison O'Riordan

A woman accused of mopping up the scene of an alleged fatal stabbing at her partner's north Dublin home told gardaí she did not see any blood in the property and that nothing happened in the house that she knew of, a trial has heard.

A forensic scientist also gave evidence that he had noted at least four blood-stained ring patterns on the kitchen floor in the accused man's house and it was likely the ring stains had been altered by wiping.

It is the prosecution case that murder accused Derek Boyd stabbed Mark Carroll with the intention of killing him or causing him serious harm.

Boyd's partner Chantelle Harcourt stands accused of impeding his prosecution and it is the prosecution case that an effort was made to clean up the house with a mop before gardaí had arrived.

The Central Criminal Court jury has heard that the accused man Boyd was on a suspended sentence for shooting his sister dead "in a tragic accident" when he is alleged to have fatally stabbed Mark Carroll.

Giving evidence this week, Garda Rory O'Brien told Sean Guerin, prosecuting, that members of the Garda Armed Support Unit entered Boyd's house in the early hours of June 9th, 2024. Boyd was not present.

When the witness went to Scribblestown Place, he said Harcourt told him they had been drinking in the kitchen but that she had gone to bed at 10pm. She said she was not aware of what had occurred in the last two to three hours.

When asked who had been in the house, Harcourt told the garda: "I think it was Mark".

He said Harcourt also told him that Boyd had been there and she provided a telephone number for him.

Asked by Guerin about his observation of the kitchen table, Gda O'Brien said there were no signs of people sitting around; "no empty bottles or glasses, the surface was cleaned off".

The garda said he also noticed a mop in a bucket in the corner of the room between the fridge and wall.

He said there were some blood markings on the walls in the hallway and on a door leading into the bathroom. "There were some speckles on the ground but it was more the walls that drew my attention".

Gda O'Brien said he commented to Harcourt about the cleanliness of the kitchen, "considering there were people socialising inside", but she did not respond.

Witness statement

The officer said he had invited Harcourt to Blanchardstown Garda Station to provide a witness statement that morning, which she agreed to do.

Harcourt's witness statement was then read to the jury, where she said she had lived at The Salvation Army in Coolock for the past two years.

The accused woman said she had been in a relationship with Boyd for a few months but they had known each other for a few years.

Harcourt said when she went to Boyd's house on June 8th, he was at home with two friends, "a fella and a girl", who she didn't know.

Harcourt said she had gone to bed that night in the front bedroom of Scribblestown Place just after 10pm.

"When I went to bed the others were still in the house, they were in the kitchen...The next thing I know the guards are at the door. I did not hear anything downstairs. I did not hear anyone arguing or fighting. I don't know where Derek went....Derek did not contact me, the last time I talked to him was when I was going to bed.

"Nothing happened in the house that I know of. I did not see any blood in the house. Derek and the others were not having a Hooley, it was just a casual one or two drinks".

In a second statement taken the same morning, Harcourt said she did not notice any knives in the house as she would not be looking out for that.

"I just went to bed. I didn't notice any before or after I went to bed last night or this morning. The garda pointed out a knife in the hallway beside the front door but I didn't see that when I opened the door to you".

Bloodstain pattern analysis

Another witness, Dr Alan McGee from Forensic Science Ireland, told the prosecutor that he was aware Carroll had suffered stab injuries to the left arm, lower back and chest at Scribblestown Place in Finglas.

Dr McGee said he went to Boyd's home on June 10th, 2024 to conduct bloodstain pattern analysis.

The witness said there were small circular bloodstains on the tiled kitchen floor which had a ring appearance and it was likely some of the ring stains had been altered by wiping, as "the centre" was no longer there.

The witness said he took swabs from the kitchen area, the bathroom door and the porch area and they all tested positive for blood. He said the DNA profile generated from these matched that of Carroll's.

Under cross-examination, Dr McGee agreed with John Byrne, for Ms Harcourt, that wiping can be accidental without deliberate planning.

The witness also agreed that there were at least four blood-stained ring patterns but less than 10 on the entire floor area where he said they were wiped or altered.

He said it was very difficult to quantify how many bloodstains in total were on the kitchen floor, but it was around "30 plus".

Dr McGee further agreed that he did not equate the term "wiping" with cleaning.

Boyd (31), with an address at Scribblestown Place, Finglas in Dublin 11 has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mark Carroll (34) at his home on June 9th, 2024.

The accused man has also pleaded not guilty that on the same date at the same place, he did without lawful excuse make to Megan Rock a threat to kill her or cause her serious harm, intending her to believe the threat would be carried out.

Boyd has further pleaded not guilty that on the same occasion he assaulted Rock, causing her harm.

Harcourt (34), of Primrose Grove, Darndale in Dublin 17 has pleaded not guilty that on the same date at the same place, in circumstances where another person had committed an arrestable offence, namely causing serious harm, and knowing or believing that person to be guilty of that offence or of some other arrestable offence, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the said person.

The accused woman has also pleaded not guilty on the same date at Blanchardstown Garda Station, in circumstances where another person had committed an arrestable offence, namely murder, and knowing or believing that person to be guilty of that offence or of some other arrestable offence, did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the said person.

The trial continues on Monday before Judge Melanie Greally and a jury of seven men and five women.