Accused ‘came in with knife’

The friend of a man accused of “gutting“ his stepson has said events on the night in question “went from zero to a hundred in a short space of time”.

David Mahon, 46, denies murdering Dean Fitzpatrick, 23, at outside Mr Mahon’s flat at Burnell Square, Northern Cross, Malahide Road, Dublin, on May 26, 2013.

The jury yesterday heard from Karl O’Toole, was in Mr Mahon’s apartment the night Mr Fitzpatrick died.

“We were friends,” he said, explaining that he had known Mr Mahon since he was 18.

He said he was working as a taxi driver when he got a call from Mr Mahon around 10pm.

“He told me him and Audrey had split up for good,” he said, referring to Mr Fitzpatrick’s mother. The court heard Audrey Fitzpatrick is now Mr Mahon’s wife.

Mr O’Toole said that the accused was trying to get Mr Fitzpatrick to come to the flat due to a row over a bicycle part.

“Dean admitted he did take the part but just did it to annoy him,” said Mr O’Toole, adding that both men were agitated. “Dean said he’d return the part the following day. He got up then and left.”

Mr O’Toole said that Mr Mahon then told him he would be back in a minute and also left. He was gone 30 seconds to a minute.

“Everything sort of went from zero to a hundred in a short space of time,” said Mr O’Toole. “When he came back in, he was holding a knife.

“David wasn’t really making any sense. I was trying to find out what happened. He says to me that he thinks Dean is dead and he thinks the knife went through him.”

Asked if Mr Mahon had said that he had stabbed Mr Fitzpatrick, Mr O’Toole replied: “Yeah”.