Garda member in charge did not notice laceration to Mark Nash's head at time of arrest, jury hears

At the Central Criminal Court, a retired garda sergeant gave evidence in the trial of Mark Nash, who is accused of murdering two women in sheltered accommodation in Grangegorman, Dublin, in 1997. Sergeant Kevin Duffy, who was member in charge at Mill Street Garda Station in Galway when Nash was arrested in August 1997, testified that he could not recall observing a wound to Nash's face or a laceration to his head at the time of arrest. Under cross-examination, the sergeant was challenged about his failure to note visible injuries despite medical evidence that a doctor had examined Nash and observed a head laceration and facial abrasion. The defence suggested the sergeant was aware Nash had been struck with a baton and was suppressing this fact. The court also heard from a prison officer regarding an incident at Mountjoy Prison in December 1997. The trial, heard at the Central Criminal Court, is expected to continue for approximately three weeks.