THE JURY at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin yesterday heard a man accused of murder told gardaí he was trying to defend a woman with him.
Kevin Keohane (33), no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Renars Tuleiko (32) at Parnell Park, Thurles, Co Tipperary, some time from April 13th to April 15th, 2007.
Victoria Moverley (32), also of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to assisting in concealing the body and burning his clothes. She has also pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault causing him serious harm.
Det Sgt James White told Patrick Marrinan SC, prosecuting, of interviews conducted with both accused. He said he interviewed Mr Keohane at a police station in Bristol, England, on May 24th last year. Mr Keohane told Det Sgt White that on April 13th, he and Ms Moverley had been living in a tent in Parnell Park, Thurles, for two weeks.
He said they went to Abrakebabra that evening to get some food and that, while waiting, met a friend, Mario, whom he invited back to the tent.
Mr Keohane told Det Sgt White that when they returned to the tent, Mr Tuleiko "popped out . . . and said that he had been there for half an hour". He said they had known him.
"Mario said he was going to go home. Renars asked if he could stay and I told him he could."
Mr Keohane told Det Sgt White that he and Ms Moverley went to bed and that Mr Tuleiko remained drinking outside the tent. He said he woke up later and heard Ms Moverley screaming outside the tent.
"Renars was fighting her. Vicky said that he was trying to rob us. He had a knife. I ran to her defence. I got the knife off him and I stabbed him, I don't know where. He wasn't hurt. He had the knife . . . then I did, then Vicky did."
Mr Keohane told Det Sgt White that he and Ms Moverley then "ran away and hid in the trees" and that, when they went back towards the tent, they found Mr Tuleiko. "I went to see if he was breathing. He was dead. We panicked . . . we pulled him by his legs into a corner [of the field]. His trousers came off. I threw them into the fire. We covered him over with grass."
Mr Keohane told the gardaí they took a train to Dublin and a ferry to Wales. He told Det Sgt White he did not know how many times he stabbed Mr Tuleiko.
He said: "I'd like to say it was self-defence. I was in fear of my life. Vicky was in fear of hers."
Det Sgt White told the jury that he interviewed Ms Moverley on November 27th last year in Thurles Garda station. He told the jury Ms Moverley said she went to sleep in the tent while Mr Keohane and Mr Tuleiko were still drinking.
"I don't know how long I was asleep when I woke. They were throwing a knife to see who had the best aim. Kevin got a bit riled up because he had bought the knife that day."
Ms Moverley told Det Sgt White that Mr Keohane "told Renars to stop throwing it the way he was. Renars started to get riled as well. Kevin and Renars started to fight each other. Renars was getting the better of Kevin. Kevin had the knife in his hand. There was blood everywhere.
"I again shouted to stop. I ended up with the knife. Renars was on top of Kevin. I just kept saying stop. I stabbed Renars in the back, it just happened," she told Det Sgt White.