A man who stabbed his ex-partner's boyfriend to death in a "sneak attack" after inviting him for a fist fight has been found guilty of murder by a unanimous jury verdict at the Central Criminal Court.
The jury took just two hours and five minutes to deliver their verdict, rejecting Nassar Ahmed's claim that he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Eoin Boylan three times.
The prosecution had told the jury that Ahmed (41) stabbed Mr Boylan in a "sneak attack" after inviting him to a fist fight while he had a knife concealed in his pocket. Ahmed told gardaí that he grabbed something sharp after being attacked but said he couldn't remember what it was or where he threw it away.
Lorcan Staines SC, prosecuting, said in his closing speech that the accused had told "lie after lie" to gardai about the weapon used and that the lies were so bad they were "borderline laughable".
Counsel argued the issue of self-defence did not arise in the case as the deceased had been in "manifest retreat" when he was stabbed three times by the accused. The jury watched CCTV footage of the stabbing which Ahmed accepted in his garda interviews showed Mr Boylan retreating from the attack.
Ahmed had admitted to unlawfully killing Mr Boylan but said he believed he was acting in self-defence. The jury rejected his claim, accepting the prosecution's case that Ahmed was the aggressor and did not believe he was using reasonable force to defend himself.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon thanked the jury for their service and remanded Ahmed in custody until a sentencing hearing on July 26th when Mr Boylan's family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court.
Ahmed faces the mandatory sentence for murder of life imprisonment. He did not react after the jury verdict.
Nassar Ahmed of The Mews, Kilrush Road, Ennis had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Eoin Boylan (32) at Gordon Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis, on April 14th, 2020.
