Answers provided to gardaí by a man accused of making a bomb in his shed were “an incredible series of denials,” a barrister has told the Special Criminal Court.

The prosecution at the trial of Philip McKevitt (62) say that in May, 2010, after gardaí entered the accused man’s shed, they found an improvised trailer containing two gas cylinders, adapted to cause an explosion.

Mr McKevitt, of Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant, Dundalk, has pleaded not guilty to the possession of explosive substances at Aghaboys, Mount Pleasant on May 22nd, 2010.

Closing the trial today, Paul Greene SC told the three-judge, non-jury court that in May, 2010, a surveillance operation was put in place outside the accused man’s house.

He said that on May 20th Mr McKevitt was seen in the company of another man, Conan Murphy, in the yard, and that later that day a garda heard an angle-grinder being used in the shed.

Mr Greene said that two days later, at 7pm, gardaí entered the shed and saw the accused man coming from the direction of the trailer.

During the trial, the court heard evidence of garda interviews, in which Mr McKevitt said he did not know the trailer and gas cylinders were in his shed and that he had never seen them before.

Mr Greene said the shed was not of such dimensions that Mr McKevitt would not have noticed the trailer.

He referred to the accused man’s answers during interviews as “an incredible series of denials”.

“He couldn’t have missed it,” he said. “He knew it was there.”

Mr Greene also reminded the court of the evidence of Dr Clara Boland, a forensic scientist, who said that a match for Mr McKevitt’s DNA was found on the handle of one of the gas cylinders.

Tomorrow morning, the court will hear the closing speech from Mr McKevitt’s defence counsel, Diarmaid McGuinness SC.