THE TRIAL of a 30 year-old man accused of murdering his former girlfriend's new boyfriend in a bedroom in her Tipperary home last year has begun at the Central Criminal Court.
Alex Freiberg, Bridgewater House, Clonmel, denies murdering 45-year-old Kieran Cambridge at Carrigeen Close, Clonmel, Co Tipperary on August 16th, 2007.
Prosecuting counsel, Michael Durack SC, told the jury in opening the case that the accused was unhappy about the relationship and, after sending an increasing number of irate and threatening text messages, arrived at Catherine Shanahan's home in the early hours armed with two knives and stabbed Mr Cambridge.
Mr Durack said Mr Cambridge was in bed upstairs when the accused arrived. Mr Freiberg came through the back door and threatened Ms Shanahan downstairs. The jury will hear he held a knife to her throat and then ran up to Mr Cambridge.
Mr Durack said Mr Cambridge suffered two very serious stab wounds and a number of other cuts. One wound to the side of his chest penetrated his lungs and killed him.
Mr Durack said Ms Shanahan raised the alarm with her neighbours but Mr Cambridge was dead by the time an ambulance arrived.
The jury heard in the opening statement that Ms Shanahan was a woman in her thirties with one son who was born in 2002. She was in a relationship with the accused from April 2004 until June 2007.
When Ms Shanahan attended a six-week course to deal with substance abuse issues she met Mr Cambridge, from Cork. Mr Durack said they struck up a relationship and lived in Carrigeen Close after July 2007. Mr Cambridge later went back to Cork but returned to stay at Carrigeen Close in September. Mr Freiberg and Ms Shanahan met before the incident and she told him Mr Cambridge was staying with her.
Mr Durack said the accused was close to Ms Shanahan's son and was unhappy about the relationship. The jury would hear he sent a number of text messages to Ms Shanahan, threatening Mr Cambridge, in the lead -up to his death.
Mr Durack said Ms Shanahan, Mr Cambridge and a male friend were drinking beer in the house at Carrigeen Close on the evening of August 15th. Mr Cambridge went to bed at about 2am and Ms Shanahan drove the friend home.
The jury will hear that she returned home and was downstairs when the accused came in the back door carrying two knives.
Mr Durack said that despite protracted searches the knives were never found. He also said the accused man's fingerprints were not found at the scene.
Paramedic, Derek Burke, told the court that after initial confusion about the address of the incident he and his partner arrived at the house to find Mr Cambridge "lying in the corner of the bed with his head almost propped up on pillows". The other paramedic on the scene, James Hogan, said Mr Cambridge was unresponsive.
The hearing continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of seven men and five women.