Prisoner murdered inmate in TV row
During the trial, the court heard evidence that Brian Veale, 31, stabbed Graham Johnson, 41, through the heart with a carving knife and smiled as he said to a witness: “If I get a life sentence it doesn’t matter.”
Veale’s defence lawyers told the jury that “fear” was “at the heart of this case” and that the prosecution had failed to prove self-defence was not an issue.
However, after less than two hours of deliberation, the jury found Veale guilty by unanimous verdict of murdering Mr Johnson.
Veale, with a last address at Dominic St, Cork, and originally from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Johnson at Cork Prison, Rathmore Rd, Cork City on May 16, 2015.
The four-day trial heard Veale stabbed Mr Johnson in the kitchen of Cork Prison after an argument over television channels.
The altercation took place at around 3pm on May 16 and then finished but sometime after 5pm that same day, Veale came across the kitchen with a knife and stabbed the deceased in the chest.
The prosecution called Ming Feng Chen, an inmate in Cork Prison in May 2015, to give evidence.
The witness told the court that he was working in the kitchen with Veale on May 16 when he went over to watch horseracing on television.
Mr Feng Chen told the court that Veale “approached” the deceased and “stabbed him with a knife in the heart area”.
“He then smiled at me, called my name and said: ‘If I get a life sentence it doesn’t matter,’ ” said the witness.
Mr Feng Chen said Mr Johnson held his chest after he was stabbed and “slowly fell” on the ground.
Patrick Heaphy, who was serving a sentence in Cork Prison in May 2015, told the court there was an argument over switching television channels on the afternoon of May 16 between Mr Veale and Mr Johnson.
“Graham Johnson wanted to watch a horse race and Brian Veale wanted to watch soccer,” said Mr Heaphy. “Graham threatened Brian that he was going to batter him and he wanted him to step outside.”
Mr Heaphy told the court that, some time after 5pm that same day, he saw the accused “walk towards” Mr Johnson with a kitchen knife.
Mr Veale put his hand on Mr Johnson’s shoulder and “stuck” the knife in “the middle of his chest”, he said.
Chief State pathologist Marie Cassidy carried out an autopsy on Mr Johnson’s body. She told the jury that Mr Johnson’s death was due to a single stab wound to the front of his chest and haemorrhages to the heart and aorta.
The blade of the knife had “perforated the heart”, as well as “slicing” through the walls of the heart and aorta.
The court adjourned sentencing until November 7.
Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy remanded Veale in custody until that date, when a victim impact statement will be before the court.
