Evidence of student’s killing at club unsafe, court told

LAWYERS for the only man jailed for the killing of student Brian Murphy outside Club Anabel at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel in August 2000 submitted yesterday that some of the statements of his co-accused were highly prejudicial to him and went well beyond the prosecution’s case against him.

The Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) was told that the outcome of a process by the trial judge to edit the statements of Dermot Laide’s co-accused at their trial and certain media coverage prior to and during the trial were among a number of grounds of appeal by Mr Laide against his conviction.

The three-judge court is hearing appeals by Mr Laide (23), from Rossvale, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, and by Desmond Ryan (24), Cunningham Road, Dalkey, Dublin.