A POST OFFICE supervisor has described how he was knocked out by a blow to the head while his colleague lay on the floor in a pool of blood. He was giving evidence in Belfast Crown Court yesterday in the trial of two Armagh men accused of murdering a Newry postal worker, Mr Frank Ken, during an armed robbery.
Mr Declan McComish (28) land Mr Kevin Patrick Donegan (39), both from Jonesborough, south Armagh, have denied killing Mr Kerr (54) during the £130,000 raid on the Newry sorting depot on November 10th, 1994.
The supervisor told Lord Justice Nicholson a large quantity of cash had been delivered that morning and put in the cash room where Mr Kerr worked. On investigating a report by a staff member of "strange postmen in the yard", he was confronted by a gun wielding man in a postman's uniform, who ordered him to kneel on the ground between two vans alongside a number of colleagues.
Another armed gang member demanded the "override key", which was kept in the cash room.
"I rapped the door and Frank opened it. He moved back and I walked in with the gunman on my heels. I said to Frank, `It's a hold up. Just co operate and give him the override key.' Frank brushed past me and grabbed the gunman by the arms."
"The gunman pointed the gun at Frank's legs and fired two shots. I moved away to the side of the safe. I heard the other gunman outside try to fire a shot through the door, then there was another shot and Frank fell to the ground.
"Frank was on his back and there was blood coming out of this ears and pumping out of his mouth and his neck," the witness said.
The witness said the second gunman rushed in with a bag from which he took a sledgehammer.
"I was at the side of the safe with my hands over my head. I saw a hand come to open the safe door, then I got a blow on the head and got knocked out. I don't know who hit me or what with."
The witness said that when he came to there was no one in the office except Mr Kerr, who was still lying on the floor with blood pumping out of his neck and mouth.
The trial continues today.