Fights recorded on doorbell camera and mobile phones culminated in man's death, murder trial told
A series of fights that ended with a man dying from a stab wound to the neck was recorded on CCTV, by neighbours using mobile phones and by a Ring doorbell, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Bernard Condon SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, on Friday told a jury they will view a 17-second CCTV clip of the moment when Joseph Lawlor (39) stabbed Michael Ryan (51) in the neck, cutting his carotid artery and causing his death.
Mr Condon told the jury that both men had been drinking heavily together before the fight, which was the third physical altercation between them that night. Counsel said he expects it will be a straightforward task to find that Mr Lawlor inflicted the fatal wound, but it will be for the jury to determine Mr Lawlor's intention at the time of the killing.
Mr Lawlor has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Michael Ryan at Hampton Wood Way, St Margaret's Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, on June 20th, 2024.
READ MORE
In his opening address this afternoon, Mr Condon told the jury that Mr Lawlor and Mr Ryan were drinking at the accused man's home in Hampton Wood Way from early in the day on Wednesday, June 19th, last year.
The first physical altercation between them happened at about 8.30pm and was caught on CCTV covering the area outside Mr Lawlor's home and by a neighbour using his mobile phone. One witness will say that the 'younger man seemed to knock the older man to the ground' before gardaí intervened.
Gardaí noted that they were intoxicated, but neither man wanted matters to go further, Mr Condon said.
After gardaí had left, three more men joined Mr Lawlor and Mr Ryan at the house, before another fight broke out at about 9.30pm. One of the three men who had arrived appeared to be refereeing the fight, which was also recorded on CCTV and by neighbours using mobile phones, Mr Condon said.
In the recordings, Mr Condon said Mr Lawlor can be heard calling Mr Ryan a 'rat' and saying, 'I'm going to stab out' before telling Mr Ryan: 'I love you too much, I'm not going to stab you, you're my friend.'
Mr Lawlor got the better of Mr Ryan, counsel said, and Mr Ryan went to his car, where gardaí arrested him for being drunk in charge of a vehicle at about 9.50pm.
Having been brought to a Garda station to be processed on that charge, Mr Ryan returned to Mr Lawlor's house shortly after midnight. A neighbour's Ring doorbell picked up Mr Ryan saying through a window of Mr Lawlor's home that he wanted his watch back. He also threatened to flick 'pineapples', which Mr Condon said is slang for grenades, through the window.
About 20 minutes later, both men were again captured on CCTV on the street, where Mr Ryan can be seen carrying a bag. Mr Condon added: 'It seems Mr Lawlor is coming at him with quite a big knife and you will see a 17-second clip that shows Mr Ryan swinging a bag at Mr Lawlor and Mr Lawlor raising his knife-wielding hand and striking Mr Ryan on the neck with the knife.'
His carotid artery cut, Mr Ryan died a quick death, Mr Condon said.
Mr Condon told the jury that murder is an unlawful killing where the accused person intends to kill or cause serious injury. For murder, he said, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when he inflicted the fatal wound, the accused intended to kill or cause serious injury.
The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and a jury of five women and seven men.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Court of Appeal remits charges against allegedly unlicensed taximan to District Court
Charges against a Co Wexford man running an allegedly unlicensed taxi service − brought following a covert National Transport Authority (NTA) operation − will be remitted to the District Court following a Court of Appeal decision. In August 2022, an NTA enforcement officer – with assistance from An Garda Síochána – carried out a 'covert test purchase', posing as a passenger when availing of the man's allegedly unlawful taxi service. The man drove the NTA officer to a destination, before the latter identified himself. He recovered the money he'd used to pay his fare to keep as potential evidence. Charges were subsequently brought against the allegedly unlicensed taxi driver in the District Court. READ MORE These charges were dropped when a judge concluded that the NTA officer was, under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, empowered only to take enforcement action against licensed operators – not unlicensed operators. The NTA officer accepted during the District Court trial that provisions for carrying out a test purchase or 'setting a trap' were not set out under legislation. The High Court upheld the District Court's decision following an appeal brought by the NTA. This was appealed to the Court of Appeal. In a judgment, Ms Justice Nuala Butler, on behalf of the three-judgment Court of Appeal, said a core issue in the case was the extent to which an investigator – ie, the NTA officer – could take steps in the course of their duties which did not have an explicit basis in law. In the Court of Appeal proceedings, the allegedly unlicensed taxi driver accepted that an enforcement officer may take steps in an investigation that are not explicitly set out in legislation, provided it does not go beyond what an ordinary person could do without legal powers. However, he maintained the District Court judge had been right to dismiss the charges against him, arguing that in conducting the covert test purchase, the investigator presented himself as exercising a power under law which he did not have. Ms Justice Butler noted that no statutory power is required by an investigator to do something an ordinary member of the public can do. 'If a member of the public is lawfully entitled to do something, then a person appointed under statute for a particular purpose is also entitled to do that thing unless in doing so he breaches a personal right of an affected person including a suspect in a criminal investigation,' she said. The judge said it was incorrect that a member of the public could not have carried out a covert test purchase. She said it was incorrect to assume that a covert test purchase could not be made by an investigator without expressed provision in law to do so. Ms Justice Butler concluded that the High Court was incorrect in upholding the District Court's decision to dismiss the charges against the allegedly unlicensed taxi driver. She said the NTA's appeal should be upheld, and the case be remitted back to the District Court.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Judge denies legal aid for three senior barristers to represent each of Sliabh Liag murderers
A judge has denied legal aid for a third senior barrister to represent each of the Sliabh Liag murderers Alan Vial and Nikita Burns in their bid to overturn their convictions, noting he had to have 'some regard to the public purse'. Vial and Burns, a former couple, were convicted by a Central Criminal Court jury last March of murdering Robert 'Robin' Wilkin whose body was thrown over the cliffs in Co Donegal almost three years ago. Vial (39), from Drumanoo Head, Killybegs and Burns (23), of Carrick, Co Donegal, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Wilkin in Co Donegal on June 25th, 2023. The trial heard the 66-year-old suffered at least two depressed fractures to his head before being put over Sliabh Liag, which ranks among Europe's tallest sea cliffs. READ MORE Vial's application for legal aid was one of eight before the Court of Appeal . Mr Justice John Edwards said he had considered matters in chambers and in Vial's case approved legal aid for two counsel. Defence barrister James P O'Brien told the court Vial had been represented by three counsel in the trial. He said the trial had been long and involved a significant amount of disclosure and asked that three counsel also be allocated for his client's appeal. [ Three friends left the Donegal pub at closing time. Eight days later, a body was pulled from the sea at Sliabh Liag Opens in new window ] Mr Justice Edwards said his briefing note had been for two counsel. He questioned whether three counsel were needed, going on to say he could not recall any case in the Court of Appeal where a party had been represented by more than two barristers. Joseph Mulrean, representing Burns, said he had a similar application to make for three counsel. Burns case was listed today for an application to extend the deadline for lodging her appeal against her conviction, which the court granted. 'What's so complex about this case that it requires three counsel as opposed to two?' Mr Justice Edwards asked. 'If there is some reason I'm open-minded about it but simply to maintain parity with the court below is not a good reason,' said the judge, going on to note: 'I do have to have some regard to the public purse.' He said the appeal hearing would be shorter than a trial and did not involve live witnesses or live exhibits. He noted transcripts are provided, legal submissions are prepared in advance and the appeal is usually presented by one counsel. Mr Mulrean said the case had involved a significant amount of documentary evidence and had been 'extremely exhibit heavy'. Mr Justice Edwards asked if it was the State's intention to have three counsel for the appeal and Emmet Nolan, for the Director of Prosecutions , confirmed it was not. The judge then told the defence lawyers he would only certify for two counsel. The Irish Coast Guard recovered Mr Wilkin's body from the sea eight days after he was thrown from the cliffs. Due to predator damage and decomposition, State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster was unable to identify a cause of death. She noted multiple fractures to Mr Wilkin's face but could not say which had been caused by the fall from the cliff and which related to a prior assault. However, the jury heard the two fractures to the back of his head were not consistent with a fall down a cliff, but were 'entirely consistent' with injuries that could have been caused by a bloody rock found by gardaí at the top of the cliffs. DNA testing showed blood and hairs on the rock were Mr Wilkin's. Each accused claimed the other used the rock to beat Mr Wilkin about the head before he was put over the cliffs. However, the prosecution argued they were part of a joint enterprise to cause serious injury to Mr Wilkin and therefore both guilty of murder.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Sunbed business fined for selling session to minor
A judge has imposed a €2,600 penalty on a sunbed business for selling a session to a minor. In the case before Ennis District Court, Judge Alec Gabbett imposed a €1,000 fine and costs of €1,600 on Solcraft Ltd for selling a sunbed session to a girl (15) at its premises Cosmopoli Tan in Shannon, Co Clare , last year. It came after a 'secret shopper' was deployed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to do a test purchase in Cosmopoli Tan at Unit 7, Block E, Bru Na Sionna, Shannon, on November 26th, 2024. Barry Kelleher, solicitor for the HSE, told the court that on the date 'a 15-year-old child attended at the salon and approached the counter and asked for use of sunbed session'. READ MORE Mr Kelleher said 'the child asked for three minutes of time and she was told that she could get four minutes for the price of three'. Mr Kelleher said the child 'was never asked for her age or ID'. He said the firm has no previous convictions, that the transaction took place and the child left the premises. Solicitor for the firm, John Casey, said the business has a number of notices placed across its premises saying 'No ID, no sunbed'. Mr Kelleher said there was a further inspection of the premises in April this year as there was a report of underage sales continuing. Mr Casey said on that date the company was found to be in compliance. Mr Kelleher said the test purchasers deployed by the HSE don't actually take the sunbed sessions. 'You would need danger money to do that,' the judge said. Mr Kelleher told the court that people aged under 35 who use sunbeds increase their risk of developing melanoma by 75 per cent. The judge said 'children should not be in these premises – that is very straightforward' and he imposed the €1,000 fine as a deterrent to ensure compliance. Asked about the level of enforcement activity under the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act, a HSE spokesman said last month: 'In 2024, 10 fixed payment notices were served and four prosecutions taken by the National Environmental Health Service under the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014. 'Two of the prosecutions were for sales to minors and both were upheld by the court.'
