Trial begins for the murder of Damien Heagney

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.