Blood found in flat of murder accused, court hears

Blood matching that of Cookstown man Damien Heagney was located in the Co Tyrone flat of the man accused of his murder, a court heard on Tuesday.

Stephen Eugene Mc Court, 41, from Riverview, Augher, County Tyrone, is accused of murdering Mr Heagney between 30 December 2021 and 6 January 2022.

The remains of Mr Heagney, 47, were recovered from a reservoir in Cappagh, in County Tyrone, in August 2022.

He was last seen in Dromore on New Year’s Eve in 2021.

The court heard that there was evidence that the accused was also seen "loading a carpet" bearing "dark stain" into the back of his white van.

In his opening speech, Prosecution Senior Counsel Mr Gary McHugh told the court about evidence relating to telephone communications between Damian Heagney and Mr McCourt on New Year’s Eve 2021.

The court heard that according to a police investigation, Mr Heagney’s last known movements were between Cookstown and Dromore on 31 December 2021.

That night Mr Heagney was driving his BMW, and after experiencing difficulties with his car, he phoned a breakdown recovery service.

The breakdown service then dropped Mr Heagney and his car close to where the accused was living.

Mr McHugh also told the court that blood swabs taken by police forensics from the doorframe of the larger bedroom of Mr McCourt’s property matched Mr Heagney's.

During the trial, the jury also heard several statements from detectives who had been called out to investigate the whereabouts of Mr Heagney’s car in January 2022 and that the issue had been logged on police systems several times.

At one point, police observed that the car was reversed in a layby between Ballygawley and Omagh.

In another incident, officers were called to investigate reports that the BMW had been abandoned, blocking the entrance of an address a short distance from Dromore on the main road to Omagh on 16 January.

Following these incidents, officers attended Mr Heagney's home in Cookstown, which was registered to the vehicle.

Detectives were unable to gain access to the property and heard an electricity meter ringing, signalling that it needed topped up, and they also noted that the letterbox was full of junk mail.

Police also told the court that they had visited Mr McCourt's home in Gartland Terrace in relation to a welfare check after a white Citroen Berlingo van that was registered in his name was found parked beside a reservoir.

Police told the court that Mr McCourt told officers he had no involvement in the vehicle and his father may have had access to it.

A vehicle recovery operator also took to the witness stand and told the jury that in January 2022 he had accompanied Mr McCourt to Cappagh Reservoir to tow a Berlingo van that had become stuck in grass.

A written statement was also made to the court saying that the same vehicle operator was used by Mr McCourt to tow a BMW away from an entry to a house that it had been blocking.

The trial continues.