Knife missing from home of stabbing accused

A garda has told a murder trial jury that a knife was missing from a knife block in the home of a Dublin man accused of murdering a 26-year-old man and stabbing a professional boxer.

Wayne Kennedy, aged 33, of Rathsallagh Park in Shankill, Co Dublin, is charged with murdering David Spain on December 26, 2013, at this address, as well as intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Sean Turner, aged 24, on the same date.

On Monday at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Kennedy pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Yesterday, prosecution counsel Paddy McCarthy SC told the jury the incident occurred after a fight over a debt of €50, which had been owed to Mr Kennedy by Mr Turner for two months.

Garda Patrick Black, from Shankill Garda Station, told prosecution counsel Monika Leech BL that he attended the scene at Rathsallagh Park, where he photographed the interior of the home of the accused.

“There was a knife block on the kitchen counter and one knife was missing from the knife block,” he said.

Gda Black later said the green area in the Shankill estate where a “straightener” took place between the accused and Mr Turner was preserved. A 12cm-long knife handle of with the blade missing was later found, as well as a black iPhone.

Garda Paul Byrne of Shankill Garda Station was called by Mr McCarthy. Gda Byrne told counsel that he was in a patrol car on the night when he got a phone call from ambulance control to say two males had been stabbed outside Rathsallagh Park.

“As I exited the patrol car I was surrounded by four or five highly distressed people screaming for an ambulance,” said Gda Byrne. “I walked over to where a male was, who turned out to be Mr Turner, he was crouched down and he screamed at me to get an ambulance. Mr Spain was in a very bad way. It was total chaos.”

Gda Byrne said he then noticed a “very calm and collected” male coming in his direction who was very slightly shaking his head and he introduced himself as Paul Kennedy.

“He said he had seen a fight outside his house and his son Wayne Kennedy was involved with four or five other males. I spoke to Mr Kennedy and I then walked into the kitchen of his house where I met his wife and daughter,” said the witness.

The trial before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy is expected to last five days.