A series of fights that ended with a man dying from a stab wound to the neck was recorded on CCTV, by neighbours using mobile phones and by a Ring doorbell, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
Bernard Condon SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, on Friday told a jury they will view a 17-second CCTV clip of the moment when Joseph Lawlor (39) stabbed Michael Ryan (51) in the neck, cutting his carotid artery and causing his death.
Mr Condon told the jury that both men had been drinking heavily together before the fight, which was the third physical altercation between them that night. Counsel said he expects it will be a straightforward task to find that Mr Lawlor inflicted the fatal wound, but it will be for the jury to determine Mr Lawlor’s intention at the time of the killing.
Mr Lawlor has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Michael Ryan at Hampton Wood Way, St Margaret’s Road, Finglas, Dublin 11, on June 20th, 2024.
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In his opening address this afternoon, Mr Condon told the jury that Mr Lawlor and Mr Ryan were drinking at the accused man’s home in Hampton Wood Way from early in the day on Wednesday, June 19th, last year.
The first physical altercation between them happened at about 8.30pm and was caught on CCTV covering the area outside Mr Lawlor’s home and by a neighbour using his mobile phone. One witness will say that the “younger man seemed to knock the older man to the ground” before gardaí intervened.
Gardaí noted that they were intoxicated, but neither man wanted matters to go further, Mr Condon said.
After gardaí had left, three more men joined Mr Lawlor and Mr Ryan at the house, before another fight broke out at about 9.30pm. One of the three men who had arrived appeared to be refereeing the fight, which was also recorded on CCTV and by neighbours using mobile phones, Mr Condon said.
In the recordings, Mr Condon said Mr Lawlor can be heard calling Mr Ryan a “rat” and saying, “I’m going to stab out” before telling Mr Ryan: “I love you too much, I’m not going to stab you, you’re my friend.”
Mr Lawlor got the better of Mr Ryan, counsel said, and Mr Ryan went to his car, where gardaí arrested him for being drunk in charge of a vehicle at about 9.50pm.
Having been brought to a Garda station to be processed on that charge, Mr Ryan returned to Mr Lawlor’s house shortly after midnight. A neighbour’s Ring doorbell picked up Mr Ryan saying through a window of Mr Lawlor’s home that he wanted his watch back. He also threatened to flick “pineapples”, which Mr Condon said is slang for grenades, through the window.
About 20 minutes later, both men were again captured on CCTV on the street, where Mr Ryan can be seen carrying a bag. Mr Condon added: “It seems Mr Lawlor is coming at him with quite a big knife and you will see a 17-second clip that shows Mr Ryan swinging a bag at Mr Lawlor and Mr Lawlor raising his knife-wielding hand and striking Mr Ryan on the neck with the knife.”
His carotid artery cut, Mr Ryan died a quick death, Mr Condon said.
Mr Condon told the jury that murder is an unlawful killing where the accused person intends to kill or cause serious injury. For murder, he said, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when he inflicted the fatal wound, the accused intended to kill or cause serious injury.
The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Karen O’Connor and a jury of five women and seven men.
