A man pleaded not guilty yesterday to murder three years ago in a Dublin pub.
At the Central Criminal Court, James (Séamus) Morgan (38), Lower Mount Pleasant Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin, denied the murder of James Hand (29), Mountjoy Square, in August 2002 at a public house in Dorset Street Upper.
It is the prosecution's case that the deceased was stabbed on August 22nd, 2002, and died two weeks later in hospital.
Prosecuting counsel Patrick McCarthy said in his opening speech Mr Hand "suffered six stab wounds, one of which was fatal". The stab wounds inflicted on August 22nd "caused the death of the deceased on September 5th, 2002. His death is attributable to the knife wounds."
Mr McCarthy said the accused man had been drinking in a neighbouring public house, The Waxie Dargle, in the hours before the incident. He then went to The Meeting Pint pub in Dorset Street, where he spoke to Amanda Kavanagh, who was serving behind the bar.
Mr McCarthy said the accused man allegedly told Ms Kavanagh he had been barred from the pub and she asked him to leave. The prosecution alleges that a conversation took place between Ms Kavanagh and her uncle, Mr Hand, who had entered the pub.
"Words were had between the accused and the deceased," Mr McCarthy told the court. "It appears a struggle developed" in which Mr Hand was stabbed.
Ms Kavanagh told the court she was working in the public house during her summer holidays before she entered fifth year in secondary school. On the evening of the fatal incident, Ms Kavanagh began work at 6pm. Ms Kavanagh said, under cross-examination by George Birmingham SC, that security staff did not start work until 8pm at the pub.
The accused entered at about 6.30pm, Ms Kavanagh said. "He said he was having a bad day and was in a bad mood." He also mentioned family problems, "saying something about his daughter", she added.
Ms Kavanagh agreed the accused man was in an agitated state and acting strangely. He said he had been barred from the pub, "so I said to him that he should go", Ms Kavanagh told the court.
He left the pub and came back on at least three occasions. Each time the accused man came back into the pub, Ms Kavanagh said under cross-examination, he was acting strangely. "He said he didn't want to get me into trouble."
When he left the pub on one occasion, Ms Kavanagh continued, her uncle entered and asked for a description of the man who had been bothering her. Her uncle "would have told him to leave".
Ms Kavanagh left the pub to see her mother in The Waxie Dargle. When she returned to The Meeting Pint a few minutes later her uncle had been injured.
The trial continues today before Mr Justice Paul Carney.