Jury told man killed his brother over land

A Kerry man told gardaí that his father killed his uncle because he was afraid the uncle would sell their land, a murder trial jury heard today.

Eugene Daly told gardaí that he threw his uncle Patrick (Paddy) Daly's body down a well after his father Sean, who is now dead, had hit him with an iron bar.

Detective Superintendent John O' Mahony said that Eugene Daly was asked during an interview with gardai how did "things come to this". He replied : "Just years and years of troubles over money and the land. Dad was afraid Paddy would sell and the land would be lost. It got out of hand."

Eugene Daly, (aged 29), of Dooneen , Kilcummin, Killarney has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his uncle, Mr Patrick Daly, (aged 69), at Dooneen on January 18, 1996.

Det Supt O' Mahony told the Central Criminal Court that Daly was asked if he had any remorse and he replied: "Indeed I do but I can't turn the clock back. I wish it would play differently."

Earlier Eugene Daly told gardaí that he had not told his brother Jim what had happened because he wanted to protect his father and himself.

"I was afraid if I told Jim the truth he would go nuts and turn us in to the police," he added.

He also said that his father had left the iron bar he used to hit Paddy with against a wall. Eugene said that he picked it up and washed it in a sink in Paddy's back kitchen. "There was blood at the end of it," he added.

He then put it in a barrel. "I was afraid gardaí would find it and we'd both be caught so I put it in a barrel," he said.

Detective Supt O' Mahony said that Eugene also said that he had burned his uncle's cigarette lighter, his pipe and possibly his cap.

He was asked where his brother Jim came in on this and he replied: "Nowhere. He knows nothing about it. We never told him. We just wanted to keep Dad and myself OK so we said nothing."

The trial before Mr Justixce Abbott and a jury of six men and six women is continuing.