The man accused of murdering Lisa Thompson tried to sell jewellery - which the prosecution alleges is linked to the mother-of-two - to a service station cashier on the night of the killing, a trial has heard.
The store clerk told the Central Criminal Court trial on Thursday that a man, who had "dove tattoos" on his hands and "a sinister vibe", "poured" a "gemmed ring" and other bands into a tray at the pay-hatch and told him he could have "the lot" for €800.
Evidence was also given that gardaí recovered Ms Thompson's house keys and her medication in wasteland beside the same Applegreen service station in Swords a week after the deceased's body was discovered.
The jury has already seen CCTV footage of a named woman driving a Hyundai Tucson into the Applegreen service station at 3:04am on May 9th with a man in the passenger seat, having come from Sandyhill Gardens in Ballymun.
It is the prosecution case that the accused man Brian McHugh (40) is the passenger in the vehicle.
Mr McHugh with an address at Cairn Court, Poppintree, Ballymun in Dublin 11, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Thompson (52) at Sandyhill Gardens, Ballymun in Dublin 11 on May 9th, 2022.
Store clerk Staven Kadar today told Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, he was working in the Applegreen service station on St Margaret's Road in Swords when a Hyundai Tucson drove into the forecourt around 2:45am on May 9th.
He said the man and woman in the car spent around 40 minutes at the station during which they cleaned or "shook out" the floor mats belonging to the vehicle. The witness said the man who approached the hatch of the shop had "dove tattoos" on his hands.
Detective Garda Cathal Connolly has previously given evidence that he engaged with and observed Mr McHugh on multiple occasions through his police work in Ballymun and that the accused had "swallow tattoos" on his hands.
Asked about the man's demeanor, Mr Kadar said he had a "bit of energy and was a bit happy" considering it was around 2am in the morning. He said the man had "froth around his lips" and bought diesel and confectionery.
The witness said the man spoke about having jewellery he could sell and had "poured it into the tray" at the hatch. He said the man had taken rings out of his pocket with a bunch of coins.
"I looked at it real quick and said I wasn't interested. I remember gems, seeing a green or red gem and a few more bands," he added.
He said the man told him he could have "the lot" for €800 but that it was worth €3,000.
Mr Kadar said he asked the man for his name but that the man told him he would see him around.
Under cross-examination, Mr Kadar later told defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC that when he saw the rings he felt "it was a sinister vibe". "Clearly he [the man] did something wrong to be showing me rings at 2am in the morning at a petrol station," he commented.
The witness said he had "low-balled" the man saying: "He offered €800 and I offered him €100".
In re-examination, the witness confirmed to the prosecutor that he had given a description to gardai of one of the rings as gold with three gems in it, with the middle gem larger than the two either side of it.
A detective gave evidence that a search was conducted at Mr McHugh's address at Cairn Court on May 13th, 2022, three days after the deceased's body was found. Amongst the items seized was jewellery located in a drawer of a bedside locker in the accused's bedroom.
The next witness, Gerard Donohue, was once engaged to the deceased but hadn't spoken to or seen Ms Thompson since their relationship ended 15 years previously.
The witness said he and Ms Thompson had got engaged and bought a ring from McDowells Jewellers on O'Connell Street Upper.
Mr Donohue said he had left the receipt with Ms Thompson and she kept the ring, which was a three-diamond ring with a twisted bar, when they broke up.
Noel Kelly, a store manager with McDowells 'The Happy Ring House' Jewellers, testified that gardai had shown him a valuation receipt for "an 18 carat gold three stone twist diamond ring" signed by an appraiser and valued at €1,795. Mr Kelly confirmed the name Gerard Donohue was on the certificate and that it was dated December 2nd, 2006.
Detective Garda Michael McGuinness said he conducted a search of a Hyundai Tucson on May 17th, 2022, which had been seized from a named woman's house. In the central console of the vehicle, close to the gearstick, the detective found a jewellery valuation certificate from McDowell's Jewellers.
Detective Sergeant Fiona Maguire, who is attached to the fingerprint section of Forensic Science Ireland, told the prosecutor she had compared photographs of fingerprints developed on a jewellery valuation certificate with two sets of fingerprints and palm prints belonging to Mr McHugh and a named woman.
The detective said she had no doubt that fingermarks on the certificate were made by the accused's right middle finger and left thumb. A fingermark belonging to the named woman was also found on the certificate.
Garda Peter Elliott from Ballymun Garda Station testified that he had gone to Applegreen service station on St Margaret's Road in Swords on May 17th, 2022, to carry out a search of waste ground to the rear and the right hand side of the garage, separated by a high fence.
Gda Elliott said he found a set of keys located nearly a metre away from the fence. There were two keys on the key ring which read 'Mallorca' and an 'L' marker. The court heard the keys located in the wasteland had fit into the lock from Ms Thompson's front door at Sandyhill Gardens.
Garda Kevin Fenton, who took part in the same search, said he found a box of 'Buscopan' tablets with the name Lisa Thompson on the label.
The trial continues on Friday before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and a jury of four men and eight women.
