A jury in the trial of a delivery cyclist accused of stabbing a schoolboy to death has viewed CCTV footage of the moment the 16-year-old collapsed in the street.
Detective Garda Patrick Kenny told prosecution counsel Sean Guerin SC that he compiled CCTV footage from the East Wall area of Dublin on the night George Gonzaga Bento is alleged to have murdered Josh Dunne.
Footage from the Seabank House pub at the junction of East Wall Road and East Road, the witness said, captured the incident that he said is the subject of the trial.
As the jury watched the footage, Det Gda Kenny identified the moment shortly after 9.22pm when Josh Dunne collapsed to the ground before his friends rushed to his side to try to help.
Mr Bento (36), a Brazilian national with an address in East Wall in Dublin 3 is charged with murdering the teenager at East Wall Road, East Wall on January 26th2021. He is also accused of producing an article in a manner likely to intimidate another in the course of a dispute or fight, namely a utility knife.
The defendant is further accused of assault causing harm to two others on the same occasion. He has pleaded not guilty to each of the four counts.
The prosecution alleges that Mr Bento, a delivery cyclist, produced a knife during a “stand-off or confrontation” with a man on a moped accused of stealing another delivery cyclist’s bike. Shortly after this, a group of young people including Josh came upon the confrontation.
Violence
In his opening speech, Mr Guerin told the jury they will hear evidence that some force or violence was used by members of the group on Mr Bento and the man on the moped, along with evidence that the accused stabbed Josh’s teenage friend.
Counsel said there will be evidence that the deceased, who had been back a short distance from the confrontation, then became physically involved, moved towards Mr Bento and appeared to use force or violence towards him.
The CCTV compilation began at about 8.15pm outside a McDonald’s restaurant on East Wall Road where Det Garda Kenny said the accused man was sitting on the pavement.
About 25 minutes later, another delivery cyclist arrived at a nearby Lidl outlet and left his bicycle beside the supermarket trolley bay.
At 9.14pm, a man arrived at the trolley bay on a moped, picked up the bicycle and carried it down East Wall Road, still driving the moped.
Mr Bento, the witness said, could be seen close by as the man on the moped left the trolley bay carrying the bicycle.
Further CCTV footage showed the man on the moped travelling along East Wall Road carrying the bicycle before stopping at the junction with East Road.
Mr Bento and another delivery cyclist could be seen travelling in the same direction and arriving at the junction three minutes after the man on the moped.
Mr Guerin said he would not ask the garda to give his version of what was captured next on CCTV footage from the Seabank House as, he said, that is a matter for the jury.
The witness did identify Mr Bento, Josh Dunne and Mr Dunne’s friend who is one of the two other alleged victims. He also identified other members of the same group of young people, some walking, others on bicycles and some on scooters.
The third alleged victim arrived moments after Mr Dunne collapsed and was seen a short time later going across the street towards Seabank House and getting onto the back of the moped, which then drove away along East Road.
The jury also viewed part of the incident as it was captured by the dash-cam of a Dublin City Council worker's car.
The trial continues on Monday in front of Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of five men and seven women.