A MAN DIED as a result of two stab wounds to his chest and abdomen which damaged his lung, bowel and aorta, a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.
State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy told the court that Mark Spellman suffered two penetrating stab wounds, one of which was 18cm in depth.
Dane Pearse (22), Londonbridge Drive, Irishtown, Dublin, denies murdering Mr Spellman (26), a Google employee, of Dalkey, Co Dublin, at Londonbridge Road, Irishtown, on August 4th, 2007.
Prof Cassidy told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that she conducted a postmortem on Mr Spellman at the city morgue and that his clothes had been removed. He was dressed in a blue hospital gown which was soaked in blood.
Mr Spellman was stabbed on the right and left side of his trunk. One wound was 18cm in depth and entered his abdomen, went through his bowel and sliced across his aorta. Another wound of 3cm in depth pierced his lung and damaged a rib.
Prof Cassidy said both wounds were potentially fatal although the deeper wound would have been of more pressing concern to medics as it caused a large amount of blood loss.
She also found cuts to Mr Spellman’s hand and wrist which she said may have been defensive wounds from trying to block or grasp a knife during a struggle.
Prof Cassidy was shown an ornamental knife that gardaí found in Mr Pearse’s kitchen following the incident and she said it could have caused all of the injuries suffered by Mr Spellman. She said that the knife’s blade was 18cm from tip to hilt.
She told the court that Mr Spellman’s death was not necessarily immediate and that he may have been capable of movement for a short time before he would have collapsed due to blood loss and difficulty breathing.
Prof Cassidy agreed with Diarmaid McGuinness SC, defending, that the movement of Mr Spellman and Mr Pearse during a struggle could have affected injuries.
Mr McGuinness suggested to her that she could not exclude the possibility that an injury may have been caused by Mr Spellman falling on the ground, to which she replied: “All I can say is that it is an injury caused by a knife.”
Dr Geraldine O’Donnell from the forensic science laboratory told the court that DNA matching the accused and the deceased was found on the blade of the knife.
The court had heard that Mr Spellman was walking home from a work night out with two male friends when he became involved with Mr Pearse and his girlfriend on the street.
Following a confrontation, Mr Pearse went into his house and took a souvenir bat and the ornamental knife from his bedroom.
Ms Kennedy read out memos of Garda interview with Mr Pearse in which he said he did not go back out of his house with the intention of hurting Mr Spellman, but instead wanted to frighten him.