A Co Kerry farmer told gardaí that he drove the forks of his teleporter through the car of a neighbouring landowner because there was no other way to stop the man using a loud crow banger.
Michael Ferris (63), of Rattoo, Ballyduff, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of John Anthony O’Mahony (73) at Rattoo on April 4th, 2017.
Mr Ferris told gardaí after his arrest that the banger, a device used to scare away birds, would wake the dead and had been an issue for 30 years.
“Surely there was some other way to get around it,” Det Sgt John Heaslip asked Mr Ferris during the interview at Listowel Garda station.
He replied: “Believe me there wasn’t”.
Reading from his notes, Det Sgt Donal Horgan told how after caution Mr Ferris said he blocked the road with the teleporter to stop Mr O’Mahony passing and went about doing a few jobs.
“(Mr O’Mahony) started hooting . I was not in the teleporter. I sat up on the teleporter. I did not talk to him. No good talking to him. The pallet forks I had on it I made for the car and drove into it,” Mr Ferris told the detective sergeant.
Pressed in a later interview on why it was he set out to take action that morning, Mr Ferris said his neighbour had to be stopped.
“Are you saying you intended to kill him,” he was asked.
Mr Ferris replied that he did, adding “he had to be stopped and that was it”.
GP Dr Richard O’Reilly went to the scene of the accident and confirmed the death of Mr O’Mahony. He later visited Mr Ferris, a longtime patient, at Listowel Garda station and found he was not suffering from psychosis. However, he said Mr Ferris was upset and his blood pressure was raised.
The trial continues.