A MAN collapsed and died on a busy Dublin street after he was stabbed 11 times by his flatmate, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Mr Patrick Gageby, prosecuting, said that Mr Stephen Boyle, in "a terrible rage", stabbed Mr Gerard Hagan outside their flat at Lower Rathmines Road in the early hours of August 3rd last year. He said Mr Boyle had earlier battered his two other flatmates - Mr Mark Brown and Mr Douglas McManus - with a burley.
He said Mr Boyle had "skedaddled" after the incident, but later that day went to Portlaoise Garda station where he said he had acted in "self- defence".
Mr Gageby said Mr Hagan sustained 11 stab wounds, and the jury would be convinced Mr Boyle had a deep-seated intention to kill or cause serious injury to him.
Mr Boyle (30), from Cook Court, Ormeau Road, Belfast, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Gerard Hagan (32), from Norfolk Road, Belfast, on August 3rd, 1996.
Mr Boyle also denied unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Brown and Mr McManus.
In court yesterday Mr Brown said he was originally from Scotland but had come to Ireland about 2 1/2 years ago. He was staying in Mr Boyle's flat.
Mr Brown said he was lying on the floor of the flat when Mr Boyle came in drunk and "not in good humour" in the early hours of August 3rd. He said Mr Boyle went into the bedroom where Mr McManus was in bed, and he heard Mr McManus screaming. He thought he heard Mr Boyle saying he was "fed up with you talking behind my back."
Mr Brown said he went to go into the bedroom but Mr Boyle was coming out with a hurley stick and attacked him. He was also attacking Mr McManus.
"There was no reasoning with him," he said, "he was gassed." He said he did not see Mr Boyle with any implement other than the hurley stick.
There was a knock on the door and Mr Boyle told him to open it. He did so and went back into the bedroom without looking to see who was at the door, because he was in pain. Mr Brown said Mr Boyle walked out and he heard someone who sounded like Gerry Hagan say: "Stop it, stop it."
Mr Boyle came back into the bedroom about four or five minutes later and was taking off his top, which was covered in blood.
The witness said Mr Boyle asked him to get rid of the top and he put it in the toilet "because I was scared". He said Mr Boyle told him: "I've just done Gerry in." Then he changed his top and left the flat.
Mr Brown said he had two broken arms and also found it difficult to walk after the incident.
The witness agreed he had smoked heroin on the afternoon of August 2nd, 1996, with Mr Hagan. He said he knew Mr Hagan to be violent.
Cross-examined by Mr Brendan Grogan SC, defending, Mr Brown said he had been evicted from another flat in the house at Lower Rathmines Road before moving into Mr Boyle's flat.
He agreed Mr Hagan had given him "an unmerciful hiding" not long before the incident on August 3rd, 1996, and had also beaten him on another occasion.
He agreed Mr Boyle had told him in the early hours of August 3rd, 1996 that "Gerry" was lying outside and asked him to go and see how he was. He agreed that Mr Boyle and Mr Hagan got on well together.
Mr McManus said he was from Scotland and came to Ireland with Mr Brown in 1995. They stayed at the Iveagh Hostel in Dublin where they met Mr Boyle and they later moved into a flat at Lower Rathmines Road.
He said he was in bed "fairly drunk" at his flat in the early hours of August 3rd, 1996, when Mr Boyle came in and said something about having no guts and talking behind his back. He was drunk.
Mr McManus said Mr Boyle began to hit him on the arms and legs with a hurley stick. He thought Mr Boyle also had a knife, but he could not be sure.
Mr Boyle had later left the bedroom after there was a knock on the front door. He saw Mr Boyle a minute later in the bedroom. His T-shirt was covered with blood and he said: "I've just done somebody out there."
Mr Boyle put on a clean T-shirt and went away.
A forensic scientist, Dr Louise McKenna, said she examined a number of items relating to the case. She had found that blood on the accused man's jeans, shoe and T-shirt was consistent with the blood sample of the deceased.
Mr Cathal Noone said he was walking on Lower Rathmines Road about 4 a.m. on August 3rd, 1996, when he saw two men fighting. He said the taller man was holding the other by the left shoulder and was making upwards movements towards that man with his right hand.
The trial continues today before Mrs Justice McGuinness and a jury.