Three witnesses giving evidence in the trial of a man who denies murdering a former kickboxing champion in a Dublin pub have been declared hostile at the Central Criminal Court.
They were giving evidence in the trial of Bernard Dempsey (48), from Golden Lane, Dublin, who denies murdering James Curran (42) in the Green Lizard pub, Francis Street, on April 3th, 2005.
One witness, John Murphy, told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that he worked as a part-time barman at the Green Lizard and had gone there on the evening of April 3rd with his wife and brother-in-law. He saw the accused in a group of five.
He said he noticed the accused had a bump on his forehead and when he asked about it Mr Dempsey said he had fallen after a few drinks.
Later he heard four bangs and when he turned he heard screaming and saw a man slumped over a table. He did not know what had happened but when he saw the man he thought he must have been shot.
Following an application by the prosecution, Mr Justice Paul Carney told the jury that a situation could arise when it was demonstrated to the judge that a witness had made statements on a previous occasion which were inconsistent with their stance in the witness box. He declared the witness to be hostile.
Two other witnesses, sisters Joan Arnold and Phylis Carpenter, were also declared hostile by the judge.
Mr Justice Carney later warned the jury that something had slipped out during evidence that should not have. He warned it to approach every piece of evidence on the presumption that the accused was innocent.
The trial continues today.