Jury shown images of deceased man

Images of the late Liam Manley walking around the streets of Cork on Saturday night/Sunday morning, in the hours before he died, were shown to the jury on the opening day of the murder trial.

As well as the images of a man with white hair walking or standing or sitting alone, at times with a bottle of wine in his hand, in the busy city centre, a picture of what Mr Manley was like as a person was also given by those who knew him.

Clare Hanrahan, a project worker with the Simon Community, said: “He was assigned to me. I developed a good working relationship with him, I’d take him for coffee and that. Three years after coming to Gateway [a Simon accommodation] he required a higher level of support. He drank almost daily. Just getting a bit older and he needed a bit of support with basics like providing food for himself.

“His short-term memory was starting to get a bit worse. He was quite hard to get to know but once you did get to know him, you would have a chat. He was very private. He was interested in hurling. Because I am from Tipperary he liked the rivalry and things like that. I brought him to a match at Pairc Uí Chaoimh.”

On a night out with friends, she saw him at Daunt Square in the city on his own, on what turned out to be his last hours. “He kissed a bottle of wine in his hand,” she said.

Áine Power, also a Simon project worker, said: “He was a very shy, quiet man. He would not engage with you unless he knew you.”

Shane O’Mahony confirmed under cross-examination that on Thursday night, May 9, Mr Manley had become agitated about not being allowed into a Simon shelter because of his level of intoxication.