Boy told to stay quiet

A Dublin man accused of killing a 12-year old boy in a fire told his neighbour not to tell gardaí he was there, a court has heard.

Stephen Hughes died in a blaze at a makeshift den where he had been sleeping with a friend.

Dermot Griffin, aged 54, of Ballyfermot Rd, Ballyfermot, pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to manslaughter at Rossfield Avenue, Tallaght, on September 1, 2001.

Jason Lambe yesterday said Mr Griffin asked him the following day not to make any comments to the police.

Mr Lambe, who had been renting a house next door to Mr Griffin on Rossfield Avenue, also described how he had tried in vain to rescue the boy. “I dived in. Pallets fell down as I tried to grab Stephen Hughes but there was no possibility of saving him. It was too late.”

Mr Lambe said that, the next day, Mr Griffin told him not to make any comments to the police or tell them he was there. “Basically, he asked me not to speak to the police or make any statements,” he said.

Mr Lambe agreed with Bernard Condon, defending, that he had been drinking for about 12 hours and smoking a bit of cannabis before going to the fire. He said he “sobered up in seconds” when he heard there was a child in a fire.

The trial continues.