The sister of a man accused of murder told a jury in the Central Criminal Court yesterday that she saw "blood splattering" from the head of the victim.
Mary Kennedy was giving evidence in the trial of Bernard Dempsey (48), Golden Lane, Dublin, who denies murdering James Curran (42), a former kickboxing champion, in the Green Lizard pub on Francis Street, Dublin, in April 2005.
Ms Kennedy told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that she was at a table with two other women and Mr Curran, who was facing her. A brother of Mr Curran is married to her sister.
She turned to Mr Curran and heard a bang. She saw "blood splattering from his head" and could see the look of shock in his face. "I remember seeing sparks of blood and the smell of blood. Everywhere was just mayhem." Her eyes were focused on his face. "Apart from Curran, I saw my brother but there were lots of other people there as well."
She saw her brother directly behind the victim, with his arms outstretched but she did not remember what he was doing. "I'm not too clear at what stage I saw him. I'm not sure if it was before or after the bangs that I saw him."
Breda Murphy, one of the two other women sitting at the table, told Patrick Martin Giblin SC, defending, that there "was no hint of any troubles of any description" that night.
She said a karaoke session was on when she turned around to see what Ms Kennedy was screaming at. "The minute I turned around, there was a gun to the back of James Curran's head," she said.
It was not a question of her recognising the gunman, because all she saw was a hand with a gun.
The trial before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury continues today.