Woman came home to find bloodied nephew telling her he'd stabbed her partner, trial told
When she returned from the shop around 3.32pm, Breda Kearney said Ryan Kearney (39) was standing in the hallway and had blood on his han
A woman has told a jury of the moment she returned home from a brief trip to the shop to be greeted by her bloodied nephew, who told her he had stabbed her partner in the neck and thought he was dead.
Ryan Kearney (39), with an address at Loughnamona Drive, Leixlip, Co Kildare has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jeffrey Jackson (50) at The Lamps, School Street, Kilcock, Co Kildare on February 8, 2024.
Jeffrey Jackson's partner, Breda Kearney, today told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that she had been in a relationship with Mr Jackson for about 18 months before he had died. Ms Kearney agreed that Ryan Kearney was her nephew through marriage and she had known him since he was eight years old.
Recalling the evening of February 7 2024, Ms Kearney said the couple had stayed over with Mr Jackson's mother and shared a 70cl bottle of vodka.
The Central Criminal Court (stock photo)
News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23
The witness said she and Mr Jackson returned to her apartment in Kilcock around 2.30pm the next day but there had been no arrangement for the accused to come to 'The Lamps'.
Ms Kearney said when Ryan arrived into her apartment he had a bag of shopping from Lidl and two six packs of Budweiser. When she asked the accused what he was doing there, the witness explained that Ryan had said he was in 'big trouble' as he taken his partner's social welfare card and spent "all the money".
Ms Kearney said she went to the shop 20 minutes after Ryan arrived. When she was leaving the apartment she said Mr Jackson was answering the accused's phone to speak to his partner, who she heard "screeching" down the phone.
When she returned from the shop around 3.32pm, Ms Kearney said Ryan was standing in the hallway and had blood on his hands. The witness said she asked Ryan what was wrong and the accused replied: "I stabbed Jeffrey in the neck, I think he is dead".
Ms Kearney said she asked Ryan what he was talking about and went into the living room, where she saw Mr Jackson lying on a leather couch with his legs dangling and his head up against the window. "I thought it was a joke and he was going to hop up".
The witness said there was blood "spilling" out Mr Jackson's nose and mouth and his eyes were closed. She said blood "seemed to be everywhere" so she got a tea towel and pressed it on his neck. She said she was in absolute shock and was trying to ring emergency services at the same time.
Ms Kearney said there was a wound on her partner's abdomen and it was 'squirting' blood. She asked Ryan to grab another towel for another wound.
Under cross-examination, Ms Kearney agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that his client was an alcoholic and had difficulty with drink as long as she knew him.
The witness denied that Mr Jackson had a difficulty with alcohol or that he would be more aggressive or belligerent with drink. She agreed she had told gardai that Mr Jackson had previously burst his knuckle on the accused's head when they had been drinking.
Ms Kearney said she hadn't seen her partner drink alcohol on February 8 but that he would have had drink in his system from the previous night.
She denied that Ryan had taken Mr Jackson's drink that afternoon and that the deceased had become irate with him.
In his opening speech, Mr Grehan told the jury that evidence of 16 separate knife injuries suffered by Mr Jackson during a "ferocious attack" in a Co Kildare apartment did not fit with Mr Kearney's account of having stabbed the deceased in self defence.
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of three men and nine women.
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Sunday World
a day ago
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Woman came home to find bloodied nephew telling her he'd stabbed her partner, trial told
When she returned from the shop around 3.32pm, Breda Kearney said Ryan Kearney (39) was standing in the hallway and had blood on his han A woman has told a jury of the moment she returned home from a brief trip to the shop to be greeted by her bloodied nephew, who told her he had stabbed her partner in the neck and thought he was dead. Ryan Kearney (39), with an address at Loughnamona Drive, Leixlip, Co Kildare has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jeffrey Jackson (50) at The Lamps, School Street, Kilcock, Co Kildare on February 8, 2024. Jeffrey Jackson's partner, Breda Kearney, today told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that she had been in a relationship with Mr Jackson for about 18 months before he had died. Ms Kearney agreed that Ryan Kearney was her nephew through marriage and she had known him since he was eight years old. Recalling the evening of February 7 2024, Ms Kearney said the couple had stayed over with Mr Jackson's mother and shared a 70cl bottle of vodka. The Central Criminal Court (stock photo) News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23 The witness said she and Mr Jackson returned to her apartment in Kilcock around 2.30pm the next day but there had been no arrangement for the accused to come to 'The Lamps'. Ms Kearney said when Ryan arrived into her apartment he had a bag of shopping from Lidl and two six packs of Budweiser. When she asked the accused what he was doing there, the witness explained that Ryan had said he was in 'big trouble' as he taken his partner's social welfare card and spent "all the money". Ms Kearney said she went to the shop 20 minutes after Ryan arrived. When she was leaving the apartment she said Mr Jackson was answering the accused's phone to speak to his partner, who she heard "screeching" down the phone. When she returned from the shop around 3.32pm, Ms Kearney said Ryan was standing in the hallway and had blood on his hands. The witness said she asked Ryan what was wrong and the accused replied: "I stabbed Jeffrey in the neck, I think he is dead". Ms Kearney said she asked Ryan what he was talking about and went into the living room, where she saw Mr Jackson lying on a leather couch with his legs dangling and his head up against the window. "I thought it was a joke and he was going to hop up". The witness said there was blood "spilling" out Mr Jackson's nose and mouth and his eyes were closed. She said blood "seemed to be everywhere" so she got a tea towel and pressed it on his neck. She said she was in absolute shock and was trying to ring emergency services at the same time. Ms Kearney said there was a wound on her partner's abdomen and it was 'squirting' blood. She asked Ryan to grab another towel for another wound. Under cross-examination, Ms Kearney agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending, that his client was an alcoholic and had difficulty with drink as long as she knew him. The witness denied that Mr Jackson had a difficulty with alcohol or that he would be more aggressive or belligerent with drink. She agreed she had told gardai that Mr Jackson had previously burst his knuckle on the accused's head when they had been drinking. Ms Kearney said she hadn't seen her partner drink alcohol on February 8 but that he would have had drink in his system from the previous night. She denied that Ryan had taken Mr Jackson's drink that afternoon and that the deceased had become irate with him. In his opening speech, Mr Grehan told the jury that evidence of 16 separate knife injuries suffered by Mr Jackson during a "ferocious attack" in a Co Kildare apartment did not fit with Mr Kearney's account of having stabbed the deceased in self defence. The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of three men and nine women.
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5 days ago
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Wicklow man who drove with Lidl manager on car bonnet after checkout row escapes jail term
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Sunday World
5 days ago
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Wickow man (67) drove away with Lidl manager on bonnet of car after checkout row
'It was one of those occasions where the red mist descended when it shouldn't have' A retired tradesman has avoided prison over an incident in a supermarket car park in Wicklow Town in which he drove a short distance with a store manager on the bonnet of his vehicle following a row at a checkout. Thomas O'Connor (67) of Two Mile House, Ballinteskin, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty to a charge of endangerment over the incident at the Lidl supermarket on Rathnew Road, Co Wicklow on July 3, 2023 contrary to Section 13 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. Garda James Downey told a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court that there had been an issue between the store's assistant manager and the accused in relation to the payment for a small item. . News in 90 Seconds - June 20th CCTV footage played in court showed that the manager attempted to place a shopping trolley in front of O'Connor's vehicle in order to speak further with him as the accused was driving out of the car park. Video images show the supermarket employee was briefly pushed onto the bonnet of the vehicle which was travelling at a slow speed before O'Connor drove away cutting inside a van coming into the car park on the wrong side as he made his exit. Garda Downey said O'Connor was arrested in December 2023 and identified himself on the CCTV footage and accepted responsibility for his driving. The court heard he told gardaí: 'What can I say? At least non-one was hurt. I was panicked.' O'Connor also added that he was 'deeply sorry.' Garda Downey confirmed to prosecution counsel, James Kelly BL, that the accused had no previous convictions. Cross-examined by defence counsel, Edmund Sweetman BL, Garda Downey agreed that the incident arose from a dispute over what items were paid for. The court heard there was an issue about whether the customer had given the cashier a €5 or €10 note which resulted in O'Connor leaving the store with two packs of hash browns and leaving another behind at the checkout. Garda Downey said the accused had taken offence at being challenged by Lidl staff. Mr Kelly observed that O'Connor had 'left in high dudgeon and took off.' Mr Sweetman said there was no justification for the defendant's 'most irrational behaviour.' Pleading for leniency, the barrister said O'Connor had a previously unblemished character and had recently retired from a career working as a said the accused had brought €1,000 to court for his victim as an expression of his remorse. Sentencing O'Connor to three months in prison, Judge Terence O'Sullivan said he would fully suspend the term of imprisonment for a period of six months on condition that he keep the peace for that period and not come to Garda attention. The judge said the accused's driving was reckless and it was lucky that no harm had come to the Lidl manager. He said O'Connor knew there was some sort of row with the supermarket's staff and there was no justification for endangering the store official, although the judge acknowledged the accused was assessed as being at a low risk of reoffending. Judge O'Sullivan said he accepted that the defendant 'simply panicked in temper.' 'It was one of those occasions where the red mist descended when it shouldn't have,' the judge remarked. Having heard that O'Connor lives in an area with poor public transport and has a wife with health issues, Judge O'Sullivan said he would not impose any driving disqualification on him.
