Man accused of fatal attack feared being stabbed

A MAN accused of inflicting a fatal head injury with a hurley told gardaí he did so because he was afraid the victim was going to plunge a knife down his throat, a court heard yesterday.

Damien Organ, aged 25, was hit twice with a hurley during a late-night incident at the People’s Park in Waterford and suffered a bleed to the brain. He died 10 days later in hospital.

Two men, Martin O’Brien, aged 21, and Kieron Deegan, aged 20, both with an address at Flat 4, 128 The Quay, Waterford, deny the unlawful killing of Damien Organ on March 21 of last year.

The two accused have also pleaded not guilty at Waterford Circuit Court to assaulting Damien Organ and his brother Liam, aged 28, causing them harm.

On the second day of evidence in a manslaughter trial, gardaí read out transcripts of interviews with Martin O’Brien after he was arrested the evening after the incident.

He and Liam Organ were texting each other on Sunday, March 21 and threatening each other over money Liam owed to Martin O’Brien’s friend, Kate Clancy. They arranged to meet in the People’s Park to fight it out, the accused told detectives.

He brought a hurley and Kieron Deegan, with whom he shared a flat, brought a hockey stick because he was afraid Liam Organ would “ambush” them with weapons, he said.

In the park, both Damien and Liam Organ had bats and he said Damien threatened to stab him with a knife. “I thought if I dropped the hurley he would plunge the knife down my throat.”

Kate started arguing with Liam and he [Martin] thought Liam was going to hit Kate. He then hit Liam once on the head with his hurley.

He turned and looked at Damien, who was about 10 feet away. “He ran at me with the bat. Just before he got to me I brought the hurley from my side. I hit him on the head and he fell and, just before he hit the ground, I hit him again on the shoulder.”

He said in interviews he wanted “a fair fight” and struck out with the hurley in self-defence.

The trial resumes on Tuesday.