Pathologist tells court victim died of stab wounds

A 50-year-old man who stabbed a HIV-positive patient to death in St James’s Hospital told gardai that he would "do it again" when they arrested him.

Mr Patrick Gilraine, a father-of-four, from Basin St flats, Dublin 8 admitted to Garda Sean Cosgrove that he had carried out the frenzied attack on Mr Kevin Dowler (aged 52) and said he hoped his victim was dead.

"I stabbed him, I stabbed him with a knife, I hope he’s dead, he’s a paedophile," Gilraine told garda Cosgrove as he handcuffed him outside the hospital shortly after the attack.

When cautioned by the garda, he repeated: "I’d do it again".

He later signed the note of his comments in the garda’s notebook, agreeing it was correct.

Garda Cosgrove was giving his evidence in the second day of the trial of Mr Gilraine at the Central Criminal Court today.

Mr Gilraine (otherwise known as Kilraine) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Kevin Dowler (aged 52) at St James's Hospital, Dublin on 7 February, 2000.

The State Pathologist Dr John Harbison told the court that Mr Dowler died as a result of two of seven stab wounds, to the lungs and liver.

In evidence he said that although the victim was "seriously ill" with a "long and complicated medical and surgical history for chronic infections" he died as a result of the stabbing.

"The only relevance of his background to his death was that his ability to defend himself against violent attack was reduced," Dr Harbison told the court.

He concluded the cause of death was from "shock, haemorrhage and the inhalation of blood, due to stab wounds in the left lung and the liver".

The trial continues before Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins and a jury.