'He was my dad and I love him very much,' son accused of murdering father told Gardaí
A 31-year-old man told gardaí: “He was my dad and I love him very much, and would have done anything for him”, after he was charged with murdering his father in a stabbing at their family home in Dublin.
Gerard Fortune, 63, a care worker at St James’s Hospital, died following an incident at his house at Rutland Grove, Crumlin, on Sunday night.
Shortly after 8pm gardaí and emergency services were called to the house and Mr Fortune was removed by ambulance to St James's Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
His son, David Fortune, also known as David O’Leary, with the same address was remanded in custody after appearing before Judge Mary Dorgan at Dublin District Court this afternoon.
He was charged with the murder of his father on August 19, 2018.
In the following days, Gardaí had launched a public appeal for information and had issued the description of a car.
The accused was arrested on Sunday and detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Crumlin Garda Station before he was charged and brought before the district court today.
Giving evidence of the arrest, Garda Sergeant Brendan O’Halloran told Judge Mary Dorgan he cautioned the accused at 12.52pm yesterday and told him anything he said would be taken down and used in evidence.
After being cautioned David Fortune made no reply, the court heard.
Garda Sergeant O’Halloran said he arrested him for the offence of murder of Gerard Fortune on August 19 at Rutland Grove, Crumlin.
The court heard he was charged at 1.55pm and given a copy of the charge sheet.
He replied: “I never meant to harm anyone. He was my dad and I love him very much, and would have done anything for him,” the court was told.
The unemployed 31-year-old was visibly upset as he sat silently on the defendants’ bench while the details of his arrest were read out by the Garda sergeant.
The district court cannot adjudicate on bail in murder cases.
The accused used the surnames Fortune and O’Leary, the judge heard.
Judge Dorgan agreed to remand him in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on August 28 next.
The accused, dressed in a red Addidas T-shirt, grey tracksuit bottoms and black runners, gestured to distraught relatives in the public gallery as he was led away from court.
Judge Dorgan acceded to defence solicitor Brian Coveney’s application to grant legal aid to the accused. There was no Garda objection, she noted.
Mr Coveney said his client was unemployed and he furnished the court with a statement of Mr Fortune’s means.
