One of three New Age travellers accused of the murder last year of a Portuguese national told gardaí he intended to force the man off a campsite but did not realise the extent of his injuries when he dragged him to a field where he later died.
Mr Graeme Turnbull (36), with an address at Ballyhooley Rd, Cork, made a statement to gardaí when he was arrested following the discovery of the body of Mr Sergio Abru, who died after suffering serious head injuries.
Mr Turnbull and two other men, Mr Steven Job (31), of Whiting Bay, Ardmore, Co Waterford, and Mr Stuart Spicer (28), with an address at Ballyquin, c/o Ardmore Post Office, deny the murder of Mr Abru (43) at Ardmore, between September 6th and 7th, 2002.
At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Garda Tom O'Sullivan said he arrived at the scene on the morning of September 7th, where the body of Mr Abru was identified to him. He noticed "a trail of blood" leading to a number of caravans where the three accused lived.
Later that day he took a statement from Mr Turnbull in which he admitted involvement in the incident. The accused told Garda O'Sullivan that Mr Abru had been drinking with a group the previous night in one of the caravans and had "got very aggressive".
"We asked him to leave and I took him outside and we gave him a couple of slaps," he said.
"Sergio was physically dragged from the site and it was not until the next morning that we realised how serious his injuries were." The trial continues before Mr Justice O'Higgins.