A former estate agent has been returned for trial charged with the murder of his partner’s 23-year-old son in a stabbing in Dublin last year.
Father-of-one, Dean Fitzpatrick, was found at an apartment at Burnell Square, Northern Cross, on the Malahide Road, in north Dublin, on May 25th last year and was rushed to Beaumont Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Dean, originally from Donaghmede in Dublin, was the brother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick, who vanished in Spain six years ago.
Dave Mahon (43) a former estate agent from Dublin, who has been living in Spain with his partner Audrey Fitzpatrick, Dean and Amy's mother, had been questioned by gardaí last year but he was released as a file on the investigation was prepared for the DPP.
In March, he was formally charged with the murder of Dean Fitzpatrick. Detective Garda Brendan Meares had then told Dublin District Court that the 43-year-old was “handed a true copy of the charge and made no reply after caution”.
After a brief spell in custody on remand, he was granted High Court bail in his own bond of €10,000, of which €1,000 had to be lodged. His father Michael Mahon was allowed act as an independent surety in the sum of €5,000.
The 43-year-old, who has not yet entered a plea, appeared again at Dublin District Court Court today where he was served with a book of evidence by the prosecution. Judge James Faughnan was told that the DPP has directed that the accused is to be sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court on a single charge of murder.
Mr Mahon, who was accompanied to his hearing by his father, spoke briefly to the judge during the hearing. He confirmed his name and was given the formal warning that if he intended to use an alibi in his defence he must notify the prosecution within 14 days.
Mr Mahon, dressed in a black pin-striped suit and walking with the aid of a cane, replied, “I do yeah”, when asked if he understood.
Following an application by defence solicitor Tony Collier, legal aid was granted to accused whom the court has already heard is on a disability allowance. There was no objection to him remaining on bail and Judge Faughnan made the order sending him forward to the Central Criminal Court. The judge also directed that copies of video evidence were to be handed over to the defence.
Dave Mahon’s next appearance will take place before June 5th, which is the end of the court’s present term, and the date of his trial has yet to be set.
He must reside at Lorcan Drive, in Santry in Dublin, sign-on daily between 9am and 9pm at his local Garda station, “notify gardai of any change of address” and he has had to surrender his passport, as a condition of bail.
At his first court appearance, on March 26th, Det-Gda Meares had agreed that Mr Mahon had met him by arrangement that morning and that he had already been interviewed last year. The detective had said the accused had also kept in contact with gardaí since then and the officer had agreed with the defence that “when you required him to come back, he came back, and met you today”.