Man denies murdering partner’s ex in stab row

A 32-YEAR-OLD Polish man who had been attending a First Holy Communion party for his adopted son in Tralee died after receiving three stab wounds during a row with the partner of his estranged wife, a court has heard.

Assistant state pathologist, Dr Margot Bolster, who carried out a postmortem examination on Michal Skotak at Kerry General Hospital, on May 17, 2009, said each stab wound had penetrated his liver.

Dr Bolster told the Central Criminal Court the wounds to the thorax, chest and abdomen were consistent with a knife shown to her by Gardaí that had a 10.7cm blade,

Polish national Michal Kurowski, 29, of Old Gallows Field, Tralee, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Skotak on the road outside the dead man’s house at Racecourse Lawn, Tralee, on May 16, 2009.

The court was told that Kurowski was the partner of the estranged wife of the deceased, Anna Skotak.

Mr Skotak had come to Tralee to work in 2005. Anna and their two children followed in 2007. In 2008, he also adopted his late sister’s two children.

On the day of the alleged incident, there had been a celebration at the house, following the Communion of one of his adopted sons.

Six weeks prior to that, Anna Skotak had begun living with Kurowski, along with the Skotaks’ two children, in Old Gallows Field.

In evidence through a translator, Darius Skotak, a first cousin of the deceased who was at the party, said Anna Skotak had called to collect her children and he was alerted to a fight between his cousin and the accused on the street outside the house. He said he ran out to separate the two men. When he did, there was a lot of blood on his cousin’s shirt.

He said he did not wait for an ambulance but drove his cousin to the nearby Kerry General Hospital.

Kurowski’s former partner, Monika Ramenda, said she had found out about the relationship between him and Anna Skotak in January of last year.

Through her e-Bay account, but using his own Visa card, he had bought a Blackhawk survival knife, in February 2009, as their relationship was ending.

Ms Ramenda said she was aware Kurowski was frightened of someone and there had been at least one fight between him and Michal Skotak. This was outside the Tralee factory where Anna Skotak and Kurowski were both working.

She had discovered his relationship with Anna Skotak when she came across a New Year’s message on his mobile phone, she went on.

Garda Tim O’Keeffe, who was called to the scene of the stabbing, told the court the accused said he stabbed Mr Skotak in self-defence.

The trial before a jury of eight men and four women continues today.