A lawyer told the jury in a murder trial in the Central Criminal Court yesterday that gardai had intended to trap the accused man into confessing to the killing.
Mr Michael O'Brien (27), unemployed, of Gallowsfield, Tralee, Co Kerry, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of James Healy (16) of Shanakill, Tralee, in the town's Monavalley Industrial Estate on or about February 22nd, 1997.
Counsel for the defence, Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, questioned the arresting officer about Mr O'Brien's arrest and said he had intended to trap the accused man into a confession.
He asked Det Sgt John Brennan if the "technique" he employed to interview the accused man was "to get him into the Garda station" with the impression that he was only there to help gardai with their inquiries. He suggested that the sergeant "knew exactly what he was doing" and that he was "game-playing to trap" the accused.
Det Sgt Brennan told the jury that Mr O'Brien made his statement to gardai without dictation. "As it transpired a statement was made by Mr O'Brien admitting the killing," he said.
Prior to making the statement, Mr O'Brien gave notes to gardai which formed a memo, he said. In the memo, Mr O'Brien allegedly told gardai he had seen two men beating another man in a field near where the body was later found and that he believed the attacked man was Mr Healy.
In a later statement, taken on the same evening, Mr O'Brien allegedly signed a confession to murdering Mr Healy, giving him "a good few belts with a bar".
"I know I killed him but I only wanted to teach him a lesson," the statement said.
Mr O'Brien and the deceased were allegedly associates who drank cider together occasionally at different places in Tralee. After having been missing for three days, Mr Healy's body was found on waste ground.
The State Pathologist, Prof John Harbison, previously told the court that Mr Healy had had 13 of his teeth knocked out, pieces of his jaw dislodged and had 20 head injuries.
He added that he believed the teeth were inhaled, causing suffocation.
The trial before Mr Justice Dermot Kinlen and a jury of eight women and four men is to continue on January 11th next.