Brazilian tells court he saw murder accused stab his friend

A BRAZILIAN working in Co Cork yesterday recalled how he saw one friend stab another.

Jose Claudio Domingos, aged 44, with an address at Old Limerick Road, Charleville, has denied the murder of fellow Brazilian, Alberto Do Prado Oliveira, 47, on September 21, 2006, at a flat in Main Street, Charleville.

The Central Criminal Court sitting in Limerick, was told Alberto received a fatal stab wound after he and the accused had been involved in some jostling during which Alberto pinched the accused on the backside.

Domingos told gardaí who arrived at the scene that Alberto inflicted two stab wounds to himself after saying: “I feel like killing myself.”

In evidence yesterday, Lindomar Teixeira who shared the flat with his brother Dilmar said they were having drinks which included Budweiser and a strong Brazilian drink known as Pingo and described as being like poteen.

Alberto pushed Domingos to the floor twice after Alberto had grabbed him.

On the second occasion when Domingos got up, he took a knife from the kitchen table and went for Alberto with it.

He said Alberto did not react and they thought the two of them were only messing.

He suddenly realised there was something wrong and jumped from his chair asking Domingos “are you crazy?”. He intervened and came between the two after Domingos stabbed Alberto in the neck.

Blaise O’Carroll, for the defence, put it to the witness that Domingos would say in evidence that he went towards Alberto to hug him. The witness replied: “That did not happen.”

Mr Teixeira said: “The only person who lost in this situation is the person who died.”

The court had been told that the two Teixeira brothers and the accused had agreed between them at the scene that they would say Alberto had stabbed himself. Lindomar and Dilmar Teixeira then decided they would go to the gardaí and tell the truth.

Lindomar told the court that the following day when he told Domingos that he was going to the gardaí to tell the truth, Domingos asked him to wait so he could see a solicitor. Mr Teixeira said he would not agree to this.

The trial continues today before Mr Justice Paul Carney.