A Central Criminal Court jury yesterday found a Balbriggan man guilty of the manslaughter of a neighbour using a small kitchen knife. Alan Rooney (30) was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr David Hammond (24), at The Green, Pump Lane, in Balbriggan on April 27th, 1996. Both men were from Curran Park in the town.
After a three-week trial the jury of eight women and four men notified a verdict at 3.40 p.m. yesterday, after they had retired to consider it on Thursday afternoon.
When the verdict was delivered Rooney was present for the first time since an unexplained incident on Wednesday night in which he sustained serious facial injuries. In court, his face appeared heavily bruised and cut. The trial judge, Ms Justice McGuinness, thanked the jury for their service and adjourned sentencing until May 7th next, pending the receipt of probation reports.
In the first trial of the murder charge against Rooney in January 1997, a jury was discharged after failing to agree a verdict. In April 1997, when a second trial began, Rooney pleaded guilty to manslaughter. However, he subsequently retracted that plea, and a third trial began on February 9th last.
Seven days of the trial were taken up with legal argument in the absence of the jury. Ms Justice McGuinness then ruled that statements made by Rooney while in Garda custody were admissible in court.
In evidence heard by the jury, Rooney admitted he became drawn into a fight with Mr Hammond early on April 27th, 1996. Later that morning he went to his doctor and told her he had "blackouts" and could not remember whether he had stabbed Mr Hammond or not.
But eight hours after being taken into Garda custody he made statements implicating himself in the killing. He told gardai: "I can't remember how many times I pushed the knife at him, but I had it out all the time".
Rooney said he had a cocaine habit and after "getting into trouble with drug dealers" always carried a knife. i that Mr Hammond "used to slag me off a lot". He said: "I never did anything against the chap but I wasn't a great fan of him either".
Counsel for Rooney, Mr Anthony Sammon SC, with Mr Brendan Grehan, told Ms Justice McGuinness Rooney would be appealing the manslaughter conviction.
The family of Mr David Hammond remained outside the court while the verdict was announced. Rooney's family were present in court throughout the trial.