Murder accused 'sees dead man's face'
A 19-year-old murder accused has told a court that every night before he goes to sleep he sees the face of a former schoolteacher who was beaten to death with an iron bar in a public park.
Johnathan Tuohy, aged 19, of Edward Street, Limerick, denies the murder of 42-year-old Noel Carmody at Arthur’s Quay Park in Limerick city on September 27, 2003.
A co-accused, Darren Wallace, aged 21, of Assumpta Park, Lee Estate, Limerick, also denies the same charge.
Both men are further charged with robbing Mr Carmody on the same date. Yesterday, in the witness box, Mr Tuohy admitted to a jury at the Central Criminal Court that he remembered striking Mr Carmody once with an iron bar .
Mr Tuohy said that when he arrived into Arthur’s Quay Park with Darren Wallace he saw Mr Carmody in the bushes with his penis exposed and that another man was touching him.
“I was shocked at this stage as I never expected to see anything like this,” said Mr Tuohy. He said that he asked Mr Carmody “what his game was” and that Mr Carmody then asked him “if he was looking for one as well”.
“I interpreted this as him thinking I was gay. I was disgusted. I have nothing against gay people but there’s a time and a place for this thing,” he said.
“I remember striking Mr Carmody once and then I blanked out and Darren Wallace took the bar,” he added.
When asked by defence counsel Brendan Nix, SC, why he didn’t tell gardaí this when he was being interviewed after his arrest Mr Tuohy said he was “embarrassed”.
“I was embarrassed. I thought it would look like I had something against gay people,” said Mr Tuohy.
The murder accused denied robbing Mr Carmody and said that picking up the iron bar was the “worst mistake” he made.
“Every night before I go to sleep I see his face. It’s not going to go away and it’s going to affect me for the rest of my life, what I did to him,” said Mr Tuohy.
The court heard yesterday that Mr Tuohy suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and that on the afternoon before Mr Carmody’s death he had taken 36 Ritalin tablets and had been drinking beer.
Mr Tuohy said he took eight ecstasy tablets later on that night and was also drinking vodka. The trial now in its fourth week, continuing tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul Carney at the Central Criminal Court, which is currently sitting in Limerick.
