A man accused of murder “freely admitted” that he stabbed the deceased and “expressed remorse” after his arrest, the Central Criminal Court has heard.
The trial of Robbie Walsh, from Island View, Kilrush, Co Clare, opened before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart on Monday after a jury was sworn in.
The 23-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Karl ‘Gobble’ Haugh (25) in the Marian Estate in Kilkee on August 6th, 2017.
Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, said Mr Walsh had been socialising in Kilkee with his cousins Mitchell Walsh and Clinton Walsh on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2017.
Mr Gageby said a cousin of Mr Haugh, was mixing with the Walshes and two phone calls to Mr Haugh were “generated as a result of that contact”.*
The first phone call involved Mitchell Walsh being “aggressive towards Karl Haugh” while Robbie Walsh, who made the second call to Mr Haugh, “didn’t seem to be in an aggressive form at all”, counsel said.
Mr Gageby added: “Eitherway, as a result of those calls, a cousin, who was earlier with the Walshes, phoned Karl Haugh to say that either the Walshes, or one of the Walshes, was coming down to Marian Estate. The implication was it wasn’t a friendly visit.”
He said Clinton Walsh then went to the Marian Estate, where Mr Haugh was with some of his friends. After Clinton Walsh arrived “a bit of pushing and shoving and not a lot more” took place between him and the “Haugh faction”.
He said Clinton Walsh then went back to meet Robbie and Mitchell Walsh at around 12.30am and about a half an hour later, Robbie, Clinton and Mitchell Walsh went to the Marian Estate.
Metal bar
Mr Gageby said “it would seem Mitchell had a knife” and one or more of the other Walsh men had a metal bar.
The court heard it was the prosecution’s case that an altercation occurred between the Walshes and Mr Haugh and some of his friends in an area at the back of the estate where cars are generally parked.
Mr Gageby said this altercation occurred after a Volkswagen Passat was vandalised “under the apprehension, I think, that it belonged to Karl Haugh, which it didn’t”.
“During the course of the altercation, Robbie Walsh was engaged with Karl Haugh and he stabbed Karl Haugh in the back with a knife, a single penetrating wound,” counsel said.
Mr Gageby said the blade went through his back, sliced through a rib and sliced his lung — causing severe bleeding.
Mr Haugh was helped to a neighbour’s house before being taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick, where he was pronounced dead at around 5.20am.
Mr Gageby said that shortly after the incident, Robbie Walsh “was arrested on a minor public order charge”. He was brought to a garda station, charged, released and then went home.
“One of the aspects of this case is that at the beginning it appeared some people thought Mitchell Walsh may have been the person to stab Karl Haugh but the focus of the investigation turned to Robbie Walsh,” counsel said.
Mr Gageby said Robbie Walsh was arrested at around 10am on August 6th, 2017. Following his arrest the accused “freely admitted he stabbed Karl Haugh and expressed remorse, and that continued through interviews which you will hear,” Mr Gageby said.
The trial continues.
*This article was amended on February 5th 2019