The prosecution has made its opening statement in the trial of a man charged with the murders of two women in sheltered accommodation in Dublin almost 18 years ago.

42-year-old Mark Nash, with previous addresses at Prussia Street and Clonliffe Road in Dublin, is accused of killing 60-year-old Sylvia Shields and 61-year-old Mary Callanan of March 1997.

Senior prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan told the seven men and five women at the Central Criminal Court that the State’s case against Mark Nash would focus on two main pillars.

Brendan Grehan said Mr Nash had made admissions about the murders of Sylvia Shields and Mary Callanan to gardaí in Galway in August 1997 - but later withdrew them - saying he "would have taken the rap for killing the Pope if he had enough knowledge”.

Second, the prosecution said that a “spectacular breakthrough” in scientific evidence had been made in 2009 - when gardaí opened the cold case relating to the murders in Grangegorman.

Mr Grehan told the court that a DNA profile matching Sylvia Shields was found from a thread taken from one of three buttons taken from a black, velvet, jacket belonging to Mr Nash during earlier examinations.

Then a second DNA profile matching Mary Callanan was found from inside the sleeve on the right side of the jacket.

The jury has been told they will be shown photo and video evidence of the house where both bodies were found today.

Mr Nash - wearing a beige jumper and blue jeans - has pleaded not guilty to the charges.