The mother of a man accused of murder in Ballymun three years ago told a Central Criminal Court jury yesterday how sorry she was for the circumstances surrounding the death.
Mr David Dunne (25), of Coultry Road, Ballymun, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Patrick Higgins (50), of Coultry Grove, on November 13th, 1995.
At the conclusion of her evidence yesterday, Mrs Helen Dunne, David Dunne's mother, told Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness she would like to say something to Kathleen Higgins, the deceased man's widow. "I'd like to say how sorry I am," she said.
The State pathologist, Dr John Harbison, concluded that the dead man suffered a kick to the spine before his head hit a wall, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding in the brain. There was evidence suggesting separate injuries to the man's face, he said, "which could have been caused by kicking".
The trial continues on Tuesday.