A man accused of murder admitted to gardai he pulled a knife during a fight with the murder victim, a Central Criminal Court jury heard. On the 15th day of the trial of Mr Alan Rooney (30), of Curran Park, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, who denies the murder of Mr David "Grem" Hammond (24), also of Curran Park, at the Green, Pump Lane, Balbriggan, in the early hours of April 27th, 1996, a statement made by Mr Rooney while in Garda custody was read out.
In his statement, Mr Rooney said he "just decided to go for a walk" on the night of the killing. At Pump Lane, he said, "Grem Hammond started at me".
"He started throwing punches and kicks at me," the statement read. "I pulled out the knife", and Mr Hammond made a run or jump "at me". He twice told Hammond to "get the f. . k clear of me". Then Mr Hammond "made a sudden move", but the accused said he saw him walking away from him afterwards.
The court heard that, in a memo taken earlier, Mr Rooney said: "I take blackouts. Could I do something I can't remember? Maybe I did." It also heard that this memo, which was taken down by a previous witness, Det Garda Valentine Cross, was the only written record taken between 3 p.m. and 5.55 p.m. by the two gardai carrying out the interview.
Sgt Kearns agreed in cross-examination that, in a statement of proposed evidence he wrote within a week of the interview, he stated that after the memo was taken Mr Rooney "continued to deny" that he had stabbed Mr Hammond.
He rejected a defence suggestion that Mr Rooney's statement of admission came after "considerable pressure" from the two gardai.
At the time of the interview he was aware of the statements made by three previous witnesses - Mr Mark O'Reilly, Mr John Browne and Mr Paul Carroll - which pointed the finger at Mr Rooney being seen in the area where Mr Hammond was found dead.
He did not agree with Mr Anthony Sammon SC when he suggested that the police view of what had occurred was based on what these three witnesses had first told the gardai "in their pack of lies". In the first week of the trial the three witnesses admitted in direct evidence that their initial statements were false.
The trial enters its fourth week on Monday before Ms Justice McGuinness.