A murder trial jury has heard how some of the bones in a 54-year-old man’s face were “broken into little bits” and that has brain had “swirled around his skull” after he was punched and kicked to death.
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the Central Criminal Court trial of 31-year-old Anthony Walsh that she also found fragments of glass in the deceased’s face and neck.
Mr Walsh has pleaded not guilty to murdering Dermot Byrne but guilty to his manslaughter outside a school at North St, Swords, Co Dublin on July 16th, 2017. He has also pleaded guilty to stealing a bank card, keys and a Zippo lighter from the deceased on the same date and location.
Mr Byrne’s naked body was lying in blood at the top of seven steps leading to Fingal Community College, Dr Bolster told prosecuting counsel Vincent Heneghan SC. She also noted broken glass and blood spattering on the entrance to the school which she said was consistent with someone being kicked or punched.
Lacerations
On examining the body at Dublin City Morgue she found multiple fractures to the jaw and nasal bones and scrapes and lacerations to the scalp and face. Some of the bones in his face had been fragmented, broken into little bits, and a number of ribs were fractured and separated.
Further tests on the brain showed injuries consistent with multiple blows that caused the brain to “swirl around” inside the skull.
A toxicology report showed that the deceased had 350mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Dr Bolster said this would suggest he drank about nine or ten pints and he would have been highly intoxicated.
The cause of death, she said, was traumatic brain injury with blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest and fracturing of the ribs. His condition was complicated by a high level of alcohol and inhalation of blood. However, she noted that survival would have been unlikely even without alcohol due to the extent of his injuries. He did not have defensive injuries, except minor bruising to the hands.
Heavy blows
A group of parallel linear injuries to the torso, she said, could have been caused by falling forcefully against the steps leading to where he was found or railings that surrounded the top of the steps. Because the blood spatter on the door to the school was low down, she said it was more likely caused by punches or kicks than a weapon. Some of the injuries were consistent with kicks or heavy blows.
Fragments of glass in the face and neck could have been the result of being hit with a bottle or glass or by the deceased falling on a bottle or glass, she said. The prosecution has completed its evidence to the jury of six men and six women and the trial will move to the next phase on Monday in front of Justice Eileen Creedon.