Two jailed for life after brutal stabbing
Two Dublin men were jailed for life after a jury found them guilty of the murder of a Finglas man, who was stabbed 17 times, at the Central Criminal Court today.
During the 12-day trial, Patrick Harris (aged 30), of Griffith Parade, Finglas, Dublin, and Michael Norton (aged 22), of St Pappins Green, Glasnevin, Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Noel Kearney (aged 36) of Ballygall Parade, Finglas, on January 28, 2002 in Finglas.
The jury of nine men and three women deliberated over six and a half hours and spent one night in a hotel before delivering the unanimous guilty verdict on both counts of murder.
Mr Justice Henry Abbott imposed a mandatory life sentence for both Harris and Norton immediately after the verdict was delivered. "The court has no discretion whatsoever but to impose a sentence of life in prison," Mr Justice Abbott said.
Harris, who never took up bail, has been in custody since January 2002 and will have his sentence backdated. Norton had been in custody just over a year before bail was granted in November 2004. His life imprisonment will include that year served.
The court erupted into applause and shouts when the guilty verdicts were delivered. Some of Mr Kearney's family members were sobbing. A garda shouted out: "Order in the court," before it quieted down.
The court has heard that on the day of the murder, the two accused were in each other's company drinking over most of the evening. Harris and Norton first came across the dead man at a local gathering of youths in Finglas some four hours before Mr Kearney's death.
Witnesses said Harris pulled down his trousers, "just for a laugh" and said: "Give us a blow job, Nobby", to Mr Kearney. Noel "Nobby" Kearney then left the group and went home.
In a statement read to the court, Harris said he and Norton later went to Mr Kearney's house after 10pm "because it started to rain". He'd said that Norton had told him he was going to kill Noel before the two went to his home, but Harris didn't believe him because Norton was "always full of sh---".
A witness, Mr Brian Coleman, was at Mr Kearney's house at the time and told the court that Noel told Harris he "wasn't in the humour for any trouble tonight", to which Harris replied: "Relax, it'll be alright."
The court heard the two accused were in the dead man's kitchen. According to Harris's statement, he and Mr Kearney were drinking and having a chat around the table while Norton stood behind the deceased.
Harris said when Norton pulled out a knife he took it away from him and broke it in half. This knife was found in the dead man's kitchen with blood smears on it. Another blood-spattered knife was located the next day at nearby church grounds, which Harris pointed out to detectives.
A trail of blood led from the victim's kitchen to the front garden of his neighbour's house, where Mr Kearney was found dead in the driveway, after gardaí received two anonymous phone calls at 10.55pm.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy said that the excessive blood-staining on the victim's clothing indicated that "he had been upright for some time, bleeding from the injuries", she added.
Mr Kearney's death was not immediate, the court heard. "He would have been capable of fighting back for a few minutes," Dr Cassidy said.
The deceased had been stabbed a total of 17 times, and died as a result of inhaling and choking on his blood. Ten of the stab wounds were "deep and penetrating", and his windpipe had been sliced at least twice. "The large wound exposed the inside structures of the neck and the windpipe had been cut through twice, deep, into the spinal chord," Dr Cassidy said.
She described the main stab wounds to the neck as "irregular, gaping, cut-throat injuries, measuring 12 cm long". The presence of four cuts to the skin meant that "a sharp instrument would have been drawn across the throat at least four times", she said.
The court had also heard evidence from neighbours, who had heard someone shouting "Mick, Mick", and "stick it in him" or "stick it to him".
The accused men remained together after the attack. Harris had said Norton asked him what to do with the knife, and Harris helped him dispose of it at the churchyard, where Norton's leather jacket was also found.
Harris and Norton went to Harris's home where Norton stripped and allegedly begged Harris to destroy his clothes too, which Harris did. The two then went to a nearby alleyway where the remains of their burnt clothing were found the following day.
DNA evidence during the trial indicated the presence of the victim's blood on a t-shirt Norton was wearing and on the cuff of a sleeve of Harris's sweatshirt.
Ms Sylvana Robinson was visiting Harris's home when the accused's late mother, Maureen Horan, got a call that Noel was dead. She told the court that Patsy came down the stairs "shocked" and said he was "involved in that, but I didn't do it".
