Woman’s body found with window blind cord wrapped around her neck, murder trial told

The body of mother of two Lisa Thompson was found inside the door of her home with multiple stab wounds to the chest and a window blind cord wrapped around the neck, a murder trial jury is to hear.

Brian McHugh (40), with an address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11 has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Lisa Thompson (52) at Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun in Dublin 11 on May 9th, 2022.

Opening the prosecution’s case today Fiona Murphy SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the court will hear evidence from the deceased’s neighbour Rachel Barton, who will say that she heard a lot of banging around 2am on May 9th. “She will say she looked out her window and saw a man in Ms Thompson’s back garden,” said Ms Murphy.

Ms Barton, the court heard, will also testify that the man put three bags in the back of a dark green jeep, which then drove towards the main road.

Ms Murphy said the trial will hear that Damien Geraghty found Ms Thompson’s remains inside the door of the property around 3pm that afternoon. Another neighbour then arrived at the scene and rang the emergency services.

When paramedics arrived they discovered Ms Thompson’s remains. She had numerous wounds to the chest, a bloody mouth and nose and a window blind cord was wrapped around the neck.

Gardaí found the rear door of Ms Thompson’s house unlocked whilst the front door was locked. The upstairs bedroom was “ransacked” but gardaí had noticed no sign of a forced entry. Two knives were missing from a block of knives in the kitchen.

The lawyer also indicated to the jury that they will hear evidence that Mr McHugh knew Ms Thompson.

Ms Murphy said pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan will give evidence to the trial that Ms Thompson’s death occurred through a combination of ligature strangulation causing asphyxia and multiple stab wounds to the left side of the chest.

The barrister further stated that the blind cord was retrieved and sent for forensic examination. Counsel said there was a mixed DNA profile on the cord and Ms Thompson couldn’t be excluded as a major contributor, while the accused couldn’t be excluded as a minor contributor.

Ms Murphy said the chance of the DNA coming from anyone else was one in one thousand million.

There will be other evidence, counsel said, about a named woman who was the registered owner of a Hyundai Tucson and CCTV footage will show the vehicle pulling up in a laneway at Sandyhill Gardens on the night. A male is seen getting out of the vehicle and the prosecution will call evidence from a garda who recognised the male as Mr McHugh. CCTV footage, she said, shows the male approaching Ms Thompson’s front door at 1.30am and a light coming on.

At 2.50am, a man who the prosecution say is the accused is captured leaving the property but not through the front door. Ms Murphy said the man is carrying something in his hands and gets into the Tucson, which is waiting nearby before driving away.

Counsel said that the Tucson arrives at an Applegreen service station in Finglas and identification evidence will be put before the jurors of Mr McHugh and the named woman being in the car.

The court will also hear evidence, the lawyer said, that an individual found Ms Thompson’s driving licence on a slip road in Finglas on May 10th. “It is the prosecution case that CCTV footage will show the car would have been in that area,” she said.

The barrister said the car drove to Aldi in Finglas and was captured on CCTV footage arriving at the Clayton hotel beside Dublin Airport. Mr McHugh was driving and the named woman was a passenger in the car, counsel said.

Gardaí carried out a search of nearby wasteland a few days later and recovered Ms Thompson’s medication and her house keys.

Counsel said the court will hear that garda searches were also conducted at the accused’s home at Cairn Court, where he was residing with his mother. Jewellery linked to the deceased was seized from the house and the jury will hear “information on DNA aspects of that”.

Another part of the prosecution case will be garda searches at the named woman’s home where the Hyundai Tucson was recovered. A parking ticket for the Clayton Hotel was found inside the car as well as a jewellery valuation certificate, which can be linked to Ms Thompson and had the accused’s fingerprints on it, counsel said.

The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Karen O’Connor and a jury of eight men and four women. It is expected to last three weeks.