The man accused of murdering a Limerick money-lender appeared in the witness box for the third day yesterday in the Central Criminal Court. Mr Noel Kelly (19) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr John Keane (26) at the house they shared in O'Malley Park, Southill, on July 5th, 1996.
He agreed with prosecution counsel Mr Patrick Gageby SC that while he was in 48-hour custody he had not complained to anyone in authority about the ill-treatment he said he received.
Mr Gageby pointed out that during that time a solicitor, a priest, a doctor and a Garda superintendent had visited him.
Why had he not told Dr Darragh Little, the Garda doctor who arrived to take blood and hair samples from him, about what had went on during the interrogations, Mr Gageby asked. Mr Kelly answered: "I don't know."
He said he could not remember Supt Patrick O'Boyle visiting him: "I'm not saying he didn't, but I can't remember."
Later in court, when asked again if he had not made a complaint about his treatment in custody, Mr Kelly said he had made a complaint to his solicitor.
Asked why he involved another man in the killing of Mr Keane, Mr Kelly said it became apparent that he would have to name him to stop the Garda interrogations.
Mr Gageby suggested that Mr Kelly had claimed he was told to stay away from the house on the night of the killing because he wanted gardai to think he had "some Mickey Mouse part in the murder".
Mr Gageby said up until the time he made his statement Mr Kelly had conducted over 12 hours of interviews with gardai in which he answered many of their questions.
Yet when it came to his statement, Mr Gageby said: "You're saying you never said a thing at all except from nodding your head and saying yes." "That is exactly what happened," Mr Kelly said.
Closing speeches are being heard today and the jury is not expected to be asked to reach a verdict until Monday.