Brian Murphy's friend recounts events of tragic night

A best friend of Brian Murphy, who was kicked to death in a fight outside the Burlington Hotel, has told a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury that the deceased was in a fight with a former Blackrock College pupil before he was knocked unconscious.

Matthew Moran, who attended Club Anabel's with the deceased on the night he died, told Mr Brendan Grehan SC (with Mr Edward Comyn SC), prosecuting, that they left the club together at the end of the night.

They were with two other friends as well as two youths he didn't know and they smoked two joints of cannabis after leaving.

They then walked out of the gate of the hotel together in a large group and he remembered Mr Murphy having a verbal disagreement with another person.

Mr Moran said he recognised this person as being a former pupil of Blackrock College.

He then somehow got separated from the larger group but he saw Mr Murphy and the other youth squaring up to each other and both started throwing punches.

Witness said there was a lot people standing around shouting. Someone then bumped into him and he tried to get to Brian but there were a number of people standing in his way. He then saw the deceased propped up against a wall with a group of people standing around him.

Mr Moran said: "I got kind of angry and started shouting, telling people to give him some air. Brian was unconscious and I tried to revive him by slapping his face and opening his eyes. I found a weak pulse but he was completely unresponsive.

"I called the ambulance. His whole face was a horrible shade of white. There was a big gash on his chin and he was missing some teeth. There was blood coming from his nose and his mouth. It was horrible."

Mr Moran said he brought Brian over to the grass verge in front of the hotel and the ambulance arrived after about 20 minutes. He wanted them to take him straight away but they seemed to be taking their time.

He took a taxi to the hospital with two other friends but couldn't really remember who was with him. At the hospital nobody was telling them anything and he fell asleep because he was supposed to be in work that morning. Some time later someone woke him up and told him Brian had passed away.

Andrew Frame (aged 22), from Nutley Lane, Donnybrook, Sean Mackey (aged 23), from South Park, Foxrock, Desmond Ryan (aged 22), from Cunningham Road, Dalkey, all Co Dublin, and Dermot Laide (aged 22), from Rossvale, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan have pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Murphy at Sussex Road on August 31, 2000.

The four have also denied committing violence disorder by using or threatening to use unlawful violence on the same date.

Mr Moran told Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, for Mr Frame, in cross-examination, that he had about seven or eight pints that night but Brian probably had less.

He remembered the deceased pointing out "those guys from Terenure" as they entered Club Anabel's because Brian had an argument with one of them two weeks before in the Palace on Camden Street.

He denied that the cannabis made Brian aggressive and said it would be likely to have the opposite effect. He said he could recall one of their friends stealing a carton of milk from a milk float and being chased down the road by the milkman.

They were all laughing at this but nobody was mocking the milkman and when Mr Hartnett suggested that Brian Murphy started shouting "Hail to the milkman", Mr Moran said he definitely couldn't remember that.

Mr John Edwards SC, for Mr Laide, said Mr Moran told gardaí in his statement that he also had a bottle of Smirnoff Ice in the UCD sports bar before they went to Club Anabel's but the witness said someone bought one for him but he didn't remember drinking it.

He said: "When I made my first statement I hadn't slept in about three or four days. I was pretty devastated at the time and was in my own world for quite a while."

Mr Michael McFadden, an Anabel's barman, earlier told the jury there was a drink promotion on for students that night and many people seemed to be drinking 'shots' and 'shorts' from very early on. Everyone also seemed to be more boisterous than normal.

He witnessed the fight when he was leaving and described it as being "quite manic". He said that while he didn't have a clear view of it he remembered Mr Murphy falling on his face. He saw a youth in a white hooded top and grey trousers being in the group around Mr Murphy

Mr McFadden said that when Mr Murphy was carried over to the front of the hotel, the same youth was only yards away and began sniggering at the victim.

The witness looked over when he heard this and the youth began to walk towards him in a threatening manner but backed away when he saw the Anabel's logo on his tee-shirt.

Mr McFadden told Mr Edwards, in cross-examination, that he didn't see the start of the fight. He didn't know who attacked who or what it was all about.

The trial continues before Judge Michael White and a jury of eight men and four women.