A CURATE living in a local authority house in Cork city described how two men pushed heir way into his home and attacked him with the leg of a bar tool. Father David Murphy said he was struck on the head and bad his nose broken.
Mr Anthony O'Brien of Mangerton Close, The Glen, Cork, has pleaded not guilty in the Cork Circuit Criminal Court to three charges of robbing Father Murphy at Arderrin Way, assaulting him, occasioning him actual bodily harm and falsely imprisoning him. His trial before Judge A.G. Murphy and a jury opened yesterday.
It is alleged that while Mr Brien was not one of the two men who broke into the curate's come and assaulted and robbed him, he "eased the joint" before he robbery.
Mr Pat McCarthy BL, for the State, said there was a common purpose between all three people.
Father Murphy said on the night of October 3rd, 1995, a low sized man called to his home inquiring about Mass times. He was dressed in dark clothes and a hood covered his head. He seemed nervous about coming into the house and they spent a few minutes talking.
He left after they agreed to meet the following morning. The man, said Father Murphy, had a slight speech impediment and stammered.
A short time later he answered another knock on the door and two men pushed in. Both wore balaclavas and told him "this is for real".
There was a confrontation in the hallway and he was hit on the left side of his head with what appeared to be the leg of a bar stool.
The men searched the house and took a video recorder, money and a bag. He heard one of them say he needed to feed his habit. After searching the house they decided that they would take him to the church in search of more money and Father Walsh decided to run away from them en route. He succeeded, and ran to a neighbour's house where he contacted the Garda.
Garda William Dawes said he searched the home of Mr O'Brien after getting a warrant and items which were taken in the robbery were found there.