We will pray for you: Court hears how murder accused admitted to parents that he had killed a man

Tue, 16 Oct, 2018 - 18:43

By Eoin Reynolds

The mother of a man accused of murder has revealed her "deep shock" when her son broke down and told her: "He's dead. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to kill him."

Marie Walsh and her husband Hugh Walsh told the Central Criminal Court that they met their only son Anthony the morning after he beat 54-year-old Dermot Byrne to death outside a school at North St, Swords, Co Dublin on July 16, 2017. Mr Walsh (31) has pleaded not guilty to Mr Byrne's murder but guilty to manslaughter. He has also pleaded guilty to stealing a bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter from Mr Byrne on the same date and location.

Mrs Walsh told prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan SC that Anthony joined them at a restaurant in The Square in Tallaght at around noon that Sunday. His knuckles on both hands were red so she asked, "what's wrong?"

He started to cry as he told her: "There's big trouble. I don't know what to do."He then used his father's phone to make some calls and when he came back he told them he had been in a fight, that the other person kept coming after him and wouldn't leave.

He added: "He's dead. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to kill him."

Hugh Walsh said Anthony wanted a phone and told them he needed to sort out a few things before handing himself in to gardai. Mr Walsh bought his son a phone and gave him €50. Before they parted Mr Walsh wished his son luck and told him they would pray for him.

That afternoon Mrs Walsh, who was in "deep shock" spoke to gardai in Dundrum and was in regular contact with her son on his new phone. Garda Lisa Murray showed the jury CCTV footage of Anthony Walsh at Grumpy's Bar in Tallaght from 2.20pm that day until 7.50pm when he got into a taxi and headed towards his mother's house in Glencullen, near Johnny Fox's Pub in the Dublin mountains.

Mrs Walsh explained that gardai were at the house but hid their cars so Anthony wouldn't know they were there. When he got out of the taxi and entered the house he was arrested and while handcuffed in the front garden he cried and repeated over and over: "I didn't mean to kill him." He told his mother he was "very, very sorry".

Earlier the jury heard from taxi driver Olubusayo Akinbote who gave a man a lift from North St in Swords to Cabra the night that Mr Byrne died. He told Mr Heneghan the man was stocky, had a thick Irish accent, was carrying a bag and may have been drinking.

When they arrived in Cabra the man got out and refused to pay the fare. He was was "bouncing to fight", the taxi driver said, and had strong hands. Mr Akinbote added: "He asked me to come and fight for my money." The taxi driver left the area.

A statement by Darren Gannon was read out by Mr Heneghan. Mr Gannon said the accused arrived at his home in Cabra in the early hours that same morning with a sports bag, a busted lip and with his clothes covered in blood. He was "so out of it" he urinated against the wall and on the floor before falling asleep. The next day Mr Gannon told Mr Walsh to leave. He took his bag with him.

Retired garda Niall Jones told prosecuting Mr Heneghan of his "horror" at finding Mr Byrne's body on the steps to a community school in Swords. He was walking along North St looking for a taxi at around 2.50am when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, what he initially thought was an inflatable dummy at the top of a set of seven steps leading to the entrance to Swords Community College.