A witness in a murder trial has told the jury that the eceased had sent cash from a casino jackpot win to his brother abroad the day before he was killed.
At the Central Criminal Courton Thursday, witness Viorica Ciocirla said she was given the deceased’s money to bring with her on her holiday to Romania, which was to be given to the family of Ioan Artene Bob.
Mr Bob (49), a construction worker of no fixed abode, was found in a park in Tallaght, Dublin 24, on the morning of April 13th, 2018, and later died in hospital due to his injuries.
Feri Anghel (40), also of no fixed abode, who is charged with murdering Mr Bob at a location in Co Dublin on the same date, has pleaded not guilty to the charge at the Central Criminal Court.
The court has heard that Mr Bob died from extensive blunt force trauma, with multiple fractures and bruising to his lungs and the outer surface of the heart.
The jury have heard that the infliction of blunt force trauma suggested that there had been multiple blows of a fist, kicks and “stamping-type” injuries to the deceased’s body, while some of the injuries were inflicted when the deceased was “curled up and lying down”.
Another witness, Marian Dumitru, has told the jury that two days before he died, his friend Mr Bob said he “hit the jackpot” by winning over €2,500 at a casino using a €2 coin he had found.
On Thursday, Ms Ciocirla told Cathleen Noctor SC, prosecuting, that Mr Bob had been a childhood neighbour in Romania and that they met by coincidence on Grafton Street, Dublin, in 2017 and were friendly since the chance meeting.
Ms Ciocirla told Ms Noctor that from time to time, Mr Bob would ask for small loans of money, which, she said, he paid back.
Ms Noctor asked if Mr Bob had asked for any other type of help with money and was told that Ms Ciocirla was given money by Mr Bob for his family on Thursday, April 12th, 2018, before her flight home the next day.
Mc Ciocirla said that Mr Bob visited her house at about 7pm on April 12 and gave her €2,600 in an envelope which was to be passed on to the deceased’s brother, after she arrived in Romania.
Ms Ciocirla flew to Romania on Friday and at 6am on Saturday morning, Mr Bob’s brother called to her home to collect the money and told her what had happened to Mr Bob.
The witness told Ms Noctor that when she met with the deceased to hand over the money, he looked “agitated and tired”.
In crossexamination by Padriag Dwyer SC, defending, Ms Ciocirla said that Mr Bob was a “good person”, who was a friend of hers and who was “a caring person” regarding his children.
Ms Ciorcirla told Mr Dwyer that over the Christmas period in 2017, Mr Bob had trusted her with his bank card when he went to Romania.
She returned the card to him upon his return and told the barrister that she let him sleep in her house for two days. She also kept food from his mother in Romania for him in her fridge and that she gave him two blankets, as Mr Bob was sleeping in his car.
Ms Ciocirla said that Mr Bob was upset when gardaí seized his car because he lost items bought for his son that were in the car.
Mr Dwyer asked the witness how Mr Bob seemed to her when he handed the money. She said that the deceased “seemed like he wanted to say something to me but I didn’t have time”.
Ms Ciocirla said she told Mr Bob to “look after yourself, I have to go.” She added that Mr Bob told her that he was “just worried about the money reaching his brother”.
Mr Dwyer asked Ms Ciocirla if Mr Bob told her that other people might know about his jackpot money and was told “no”. She added that Mr Bob told her that he had €400 in his wallet to last him the month and that he paid back €60 that he owed to her.
In his opening speech, Mr Paul Greene SC, prosecuting, said the court will hear about the movements of Mr Bob and the use of his AIB banklink card by the accused.
The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of eight men and four women and is expected to last five weeks.