Samuel Clarke at a previous court sitting. Pic by Northwest Newspics.
A JUDGE has adjourned a bail application from a murder suspect to allow bank account details of his son to be investigated.
Samuel James Clarke, (52) of Magherane, Raphoe was charged in January this year with the murder of Mr Seamus Doherty, (67), in Drumnacoo near Churchill in June 2012.
He had been granted bail in the High Court subject to signing on at a garda station twice a day and that an independent surety of €30,000 be provided, €10,000 of that in cash.
Edwin Clarke, with an address at Galdonagh, Manorcunningham, and son of Mr Clarke today applied to Judge Paul Kelly at Letterkenny District Court to provide the surety.
He admitted under cross-examination by Garda Inspector Goretti Sheridan that he “probably” wasn’t an independent witness.
Peter Nolan, barrister for Samuel James Clarke, told Judge Kelly that 90 per cent of sureties in bail applications did come from family members.
However Inspector Sheridan said gardaí are not satisfied it is an independent surety and believe Edwin Clarke could be using funds from his father’s farm business to provide the monies.
Judge Kelly questioned Edwin Clarke about his bank account details. The judge said he wanted to see Edwin Clarke’s business accounts for 2014 and 2015 as well as details of loans taken out by Edwin Clarke in May and June of this year.
Inspector Sheridan said gardaí had opposed the original bail application believing Samuel Clark was a flight risk and they feared possible interference with witnesses.
She said the State is concerned that monies coming into Edwin’s accounts were coming through his father’s farm and his father’s cattle.
She said a previous case before the courts had ruled that monies provided in a case by a woman for her son had actually come from the son, the accused in the case.
Judge Kelly adjourned the case until next Monday, June 27, to allow the accounts of Edwin Clarke to be produced and also the registered herd numbers for Edwin Clarke’s farm and his father’s farm.