‘You wouldn’t do this to a dog’

A JUDGE has refused eight men and two women bail after a man was kicked to death in Co Wexford last year, saying: “You wouldn’t do this to a dog.”

Judge John Coughlan remanded all 10 in custody following the death on July 20 in New Ross, Wexford, of 30-year-old jewellery street vendor, Eric Forsmark.

“This is a very serious matter,” Judge Coughlan said at New Ross District Court yesterday as he refused appeals by counsel for the accused to have them remanded on bail. “This man was kicked to death. You wouldn’t do this to a dog.”

All 10 were arrested following early morning swoops by gardaí in the town on Monday.

Some of the 10 before the court yesterday face charges of violent disorder and endangerment, while a number are charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of others.

Publican, Sean Wickham, aged 46, and his wife Noleen, aged 45, of Wickham’s, Mary Street, both face two charges: one of depositing Eric Forsmark in an unconscious state outside of the public house and another of impeding the garda investigation.

The court heard the couple, who have two young children, have never been before a court.

Eight others are charged with using or threatening to use unlawful violence and intentionally or recklessly engaging in conduct which endangered the life of the Swedish man in the course of a violent disorder which created a substantial risk of death or serious harm.

The other eight before the court were Stephen Bolger, aged 26, of 33 Nunnery Lane; Raymond Kelly, aged 22, of 12 Brandon Park; Ian Bolger aged 20, of 33 Nunnery Lane; Jonathon Bolger, aged 23, of 33 Nunnery Lane; Anthony O’Leary, aged 24, of 57 Bosheen Est; Jason Murphy, aged 18, of 50 Bosheen; Sinead Kane, aged 18, of 32 Bosheen, and Owen Lennon, aged 23, of 30 Barrack Lane.

In refusing bail, Judge Coughlan said this case referred to the matter of a man having been kicked to death.

The two women were brought to the women’s prison at Mountjoy, while the other eight were brought to Cloverhill prison in Dublin.

All 10 are due back in court, in Cloverhill or Wexford, in three days.

An inquest into Mr Forsmark’s death last week found he died of a blunt force trauma to the head. Lars Eric Magnus Forsmark with an address at 1 Pearse Road, Sligo, had consumed a significant amount of alcohol before his death, state pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, said.

His death was also caused by aspiration of gastric fluid, the adjourned inquest was also told.