The last words of a man who lay dying in his father's arms after being fatally stabbed were heard by a jury at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
"I cradled Christy in my arms, I saw his face turn white in my hands. He said 'Da why did you do it?'" a murder accused allegedly told Det Sgt Gerard McGrath after his arrest.
"I was looking for the rise and fall of his chest but there was nothing there," Mr Thomas Groome (47) was alleged to have told detectives on November 16th, 1999. Mr Groome is pleading not guilty to the murder of his son Christopher Groome (19) in his caravan at Churchview Heights, Edenderry, Co Offaly, on November 15th, 1999.
Det Sgt McGrath was giving evidence about Mr Groome's arrest and detention following the death of his son. Consulting his notes he confirmed for Mr Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, that Mr Groome said: "I held his nose and tried breathing into his mouth, I tried to call for help. He was absolutely freezing at that stage, he had gone stone cold.
"Kelly came back, she took the phone from me and she spoke to someone on how to administer first aid. I was shouting at Kelly to forgive me." Det Sgt McGrath said Mr Groome was "crying uncontrollably" at the time.
Mr Groome explained to detectives that he and his son Christy and girlfriend, Ms Kelly Richardson, had come home from a disco in Edenderry "roughly about 3 a.m." and started cooking burgers and sausages in the caravan. "I recall Christy telling Kelly to hurry up with the food. She just said 'I've only got one pair of hands'. I told Christy 'Kelly is not your mother'. He told me to shut up," Mr Groome allegedly told gardaí.
"Then I told him to shut his mouth. Christy then jumped out of bed and said he'd shut me up." He was on his way outside when he told his son to "stop acting the bollocks" and "a tussle" between himself and his son ensued.
"I picked up the knife on the draining board. In the struggle Christy and I fell backwards towards the door. I don't remember what hand I had the knife in. Christy fell on top of me frontways, it was after him falling straight on top of me that I stabbed him," Mr Groome is alleged to have said.
Det Sgt McGrath confirmed for the court that the accused said: "Oh Jesus Christ how am I going to live with this?" and said he loved his son very much.
Under cross-examination by Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, Det Insp Dominic Hayes agreed the accused was a "man who was manifesting great remorse and sadness" at what happened to his son. "He was, yes, he was sobbing uncontrollably."
"He was a man who was having agonies talking about what happened the day before?" asked Mr MacEntee. "That's correct," replied Det Insp Hayes. "We were trying to find out exactly what happened. You see that he was trying to recall what happened," added the detective.
The jury is expected to deliberate on a verdict today.