Addict fatally stabbed in row over injecting heroin

Addicts sharing a bag of heroin became embroiled in a fatal argument when one failed to find a vein to inject the drug into the other, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.

Peter Jackson, aged 41, formerly of Kerryhall Rd, Fairhill, Cork City, has pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty of the manslaughter of 31-year-old Wexford man David Hamilton at a house on Kerryhall Rd on May 4, 2012.

Prosecution counsel Thomas O’Connell, SC, told the jury that the accused was trying to inject Mr Hamilton having already injected heroin into himself.

“He had difficulty finding a vein and this led to an argument and the upshot of this was that Mr Jackson picked up a knife and he plunged the knife in to Mr Hamilton’s chest,” he said.

The court heard evidence from Jackson’s former girlfriend, Pamela McHale, aged 26, from Cork City.

Ms McHale told the court that she met up with Jackson early on May 4, 2012, and they went into Cork City together to “score heroin”.

They bought two bags worth €50 each and then met Mr Hamilton, who she said was “strung out” because it was difficult to find heroin that day. He asked them if they could get heroin for him and Jackson offered to share the bags they had already bought.

The three got a taxi together to a house that then belonged to Pat Fennelly on Kerryhall Rd, Fairhill, Cork.

An argument started after Jackson had cooked up the first bag of heroin and injected himself and Ms McHale but had difficulty finding a vein to inject Mr Hamilton.

Ms McHale said: “Dave was giving out and Peter was like ‘calm down’, but Dave wanted to go to another fella’s house who he said could inject properly.”

They began smoking the second bag on a piece of tinfoil but Ms McHale said Mr Hamilton became increasingly agitated and wanted to take the heroin to the other house so he could inject.

“Peter and Dave got in a fight,” she said. “He was trying to pull the foil off Peter and Peter gave him a dig and Dave gave Peter a dig. Peter picked something up from the table and he swung.”

At the time she did not see what Jackson had picked up and she said Mr Hamilton left the room and became hysterical. It was some minutes before she noticed that there was “blood everywhere, like a scene from a horror film”.

The trial continues today.