Evidence at Bailey libel action ends

Evidence in the Ian Bailey libel action against seven newspapers came to a sudden and unexpected end today.

The defence decided not to call any garda witnesses. The plaintiff’s barrister, James Duggan, said he was flabbergasted that the defence had closed its case so soon but that this was a matter for them.

Over 70 witnesses were subpoenaed but less than half that number were called to give evidence.

Closing submissions will go on in court for most of tomorrow but it is not expected that Judge Patrick J. Moran will give his judgement in this civil action by Mr Bailey tomorrow.

A former friend of Ian Bailey who went to the assistance of Jules Thomas and her daughters after a violent assault said he felt betrayed by Mr Bailey and he wept yesterday as he described seeing how Ms Thomas had been left crying like an animal as if her soul had been ripped out.

Peter Bielecki from Skibbereen was one of the two witnesses barred from the court for alleged intimidation of Mr Bailey.

Mr Bielecki said it did not happen, that he did not glare at Mr Bailey but that Mr Bailey appeared to be staring at him on the occasion.

In evidence, he recalled getting a call from Virginia Thomas to say that her mother, Jules, had been assaulted late at night back in May 1996.

He wept as he recalled the incident.

"I am sorry, this is very distressing. I could hear what I can only describe as almost animal sounds.

"Jules was curled up in a foetal position and making these terrible moans. She had a large amount of hair in her hands. Her eye was purple, her mouth was swollen. She had teeth marks on her right hand and arm.

“It was as if someone had their soul ripped out. It was the most appalling thing I ever witnessed,” Mr Bielecki said.

He said that to describe it as a ‘tussle’ was offensive. He said he stayed at the house for up to three weeks and he slept on the couch.

“The girls insisted I keep a hammer under the pillow. He (Mr Bailey) is a large man. I don’t know how I could have handled him.

“Now I try not to think about Ian. I felt betrayed by Ian. I thought I was a good judge of character but I obviously wasn’t.”

Mr Duggan, barrister, described an incident of horseplay between Ian Bailey and Peter Bielecki at a bonfire when they were friends where Mr Bielecki overpowered Mr Bailey and knocked him to the ground because Mr Bailey was forcing him towards the fire.

Mr Duggan said to Mr Bielecki that he was well able to handle himself on that occasion.

Mr Bielecki also described being present when Mr Bailey described being tricked out of his share of a house he lived in with his former wife, Sarah Limbrick, and that he was shocked at his own actions of putting his hands to her throat.

Mr Bailey denied saying or doing that.

Mr Duggan accused the witness of making statements to gardaí that were nothing short of character assassination from start to finish.