Murder accused tells court victim's girlfriend started fight
A man accused of murdering his friend at a New Year’s Eve celebration sent a text after the stabbing saying his friend had jumped on him and his "rat bird" had started it all.
Karl Breen (aged 27), with an address at Kearns Court, Kilmainham, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his friend Martin McLaughlin (aged 21), who lived at Cherrywood Park, Clondalkin.
Breen admits stabbing Mr McLaughlin three times during a row in Jurys Inn Hotel in the early hours of New Years Day, 2006.
Mr McLaughlin died in Mater Hospital the following day.
A jury of 10 men and two women, in the Central Criminal Court, were told yesterday Breen sent a text message to his friend Mark Doyle while Mr McLaughlin was in hospital.
“There’s two sides to the f***in story Doyler. I have a busted lip and a chipped tooth. He jumped on me first and I bet you his f***in rat bird didn’t tell you it all started with her punching Marty and punching me in the face.”
The text went on: “I don’t have to explain myself to you I was just wondering if he was getting any better. He was my best mate too how the f*** do you think this makes me feel”.
In a written statement read to Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins and the court Mr Doyle said he had received a phone call from Breen after he had been at the hospital visiting his friend.
“I told him to f*** off I didn’t want to talk to him,” Mr Doyle’s statement said.
Mr Doyle said Mr McLaughlin was his “best mate”.
“I’d do anything to help him and I know he’d do the same for me,” the statement said.
Mr McLaughlin, Breen, their girlfriends and three other couples has been celebrating New Years Eve at the Jurys Inn Hotel near Croke Park in Dublin the night of the stabbing the court heard earlier.
Yesterday the jury saw CCTV of Mr McLaughlin hugging Breen in the foyer of the hotel just before 4am.
The prosecution says a fight broke out in Breen’s room, 332, on the third floor shortly afterwards involving the women with the group and Mr McLaughlin and Breen traded punches before the stabbing.
The court also heard evidence yesterday from Sergeant Donal McGivern who interviewed Mr McLaughlin’s girlfriend, Elaine Fagan, after the stabbing.
She claimed Breen and his girlfriend Nicola Nugent had been arguing in the room.
Mr McGivern said she and Mr McLaughlin had told Breen to “stop giving out”.
She said in the statement “there was no row between them after that."
She and Mr McLaughlin then went to leave the room soon after.
“I walked out into the hallway and turned to wait for Martin.
“When I looked at Martin I could see blood on his stomach and chest area. Martin was holding his chest and stomach.”
Mr McGivern told Mr Michael O’Higgins SC for Breen that Miss Fagan was distressed but was coherent, making sense and did not appear drunk.
He conceded Miss Fagan had gone back to gardaí to make another statement saying she had been drinking and was distressed when she made her first statement.
The court also heard from one of Breen’s friends Anthony Gallagher yesterday who said he woke on New Year’s Day to see Breen lying on a couch in the house at Clearwater Finglas where he had stayed.
He said Breen had injuries to his face.
“He didn’t look the best obviously.”
Breen asked for a lift to the Red Cow Roundabout and Mr Gallagher dropped him off there.
Staff from the Red Cow Hotel, told the court, Breen checked in to the hotel that morning.
The trial continues tomorrow.
