Jury to retire today in abduction, murder case

A jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict today in the case of
the murder of a Dublin man allegedly abducted from his flat after a failed
drugs deal. Evidence concluded in the Central Criminal Court yesterday on
the fifth day of the trial of Mr Scott Delaney (22), Palmerstown Park,
Palmerstown, Dublin.

He has denied the murder and false imprisonment of Mr Mark Dwyer (22),
Foster Terrace, Ballybough, Dublin, on December 14th, 1996. Mr Dwyer's body
was found in a field on the morning of the same day.

Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecution counsel, said yesterday the court had
been given a glimpse of the criminal underworld. It was a world in which
there seemed to be quite a lot of money for very little effort, and it did
not solve its problems by calling the police or sending a solicitor's letter.

He said the prosecution contended that Mr Delaney, though he did not shoot
Mr Dwyer, knew he was going to be killed. The accused was very much part of
the organisation of his abduction, and "it defied intelligence to suggest
he thought Dwyer was being taken away only for questioning".

Defence counsel, Mr Brendan Grogan SC, in his closing speech to the jury,
said there was nothing to suggest that Mr Delaney would be a willing party
to the murder of someone he knew on a regular basis.

Neither was there anything to suggest he was capable of being a party to
that murder.

"Quite critically, in 18 hours of interrogation by four experienced members
of the Garda, at no time did Scott Delaney say he knew Mark Dwyer was going
to be killed."

However, the prosecution was asking them to accept that Mr Delaney knew Mr
Dwyer was going to be killed and was therefore guilty of murder. The
evidence, he said, did not go nearly far enough.

The jury is expected to retire later today after hearing directions from Mr
Justice Morris.