Evidence continues in pub row murder trial

A jury in the trial of a 20-year-old Dublin man accused of murder today heard that after the accused allegedly stabbed his victim he ran from the scene and continued drinking into the early hours of the morning.

Mr Jason Larkin of Ravensdale Road, East Wall, Dublin denies stabbing Mr Patrick Costello (aged 31), also of East Wall, at The Plough public house, Marlborough Street on July 4, 2002.

Addressing the jury of eight men and four women in the first day of the murder trial, Mr Patrick McCarthy, SC, for the prosecution said that "Mr Larkin murdered Mr Costello at 11.45pm at the Plough bar on July 4, 2002 by lunging with a knife into the heart of Mr Costello".

Mr McCarthy, SC, prosecution counsel, said that Mr Larkin began drinking at 5pm or 6pm in the Plough bar after he finished work. "He was carrying a bag with him. In that bag he had a knife", Mr McCarthy told the jury.

"At around 9.30pm, Mr Costello arrived in The Plough bar. They both appeared to know each other. Both were from East Wall in Dublin but Mr Costello was 12 years older", Mr McCarthy said.

In the course of the evening it is claimed that the pair were involved in a row.

The jury was told that Mr Larkin was put outside The Plough bar. "Mr Larkin comes back inside the bar and throws a bottle at his head. They both ended up at the porch of the bar where Mr Larkin had a knife and he used that knife on Mr Costello", Mr McCarthy told the jury.

"Immediately afterwards someone shouted: 'Leg it', and Mr Larkin ran", Mr McCarthy said.

"CCTV cameras show that Mr Larkin withdrew money and went to The Forum pub, where he continued drinking. On his way home he passed the murder scene where gardaí had cordoned off the scene", Mr McCarthy said.

Mr Brian Willoughby, licensee of The Plough bar in July 2002, today gave evidence saying that some time after 11pm he saw "two gentleman having a row with each other down at the Marlborough Street end of the bar", he said.

"It wasn't too serious", Mr Willoughby said. "Mr Larkin shook my hand and he said there would be no problems".

He said that the barman brought Mr Costello to the other end of the bar and was about to get him an orange when a "melée" broke out. "A glass flew past my head and it hit Mr Costello on the head", Mr Willoughby told the jury.

According to the barman, Mr Costello, or "Barry" as he was known as in The Plough bar, "made a dart towards the porch area", where Mr Larkin was standing.

"As I approached the porch, I saw Mr Larkin make a lunging action towards Mr Costello and he fell very quickly to the floor", Mr Willoughby said today at the Central Criminal Court.

Mr Costello was in "a serious way", Mr Willoughby said. "He was bleeding from the chest area and from the head and then from the mouth as well", the barman told the jury yesterday.

Ms Sarah Reeves was in the Plough bar on July 4 with a group of friends, after the row broke out between the accused and the victim, and yesterday she said she saw Mr Larkin holding a knife on the night in question.

"The blade was pointing up towards his sleeve, it was a six-inch blade and I saw Mr Larkin stab him in the chest and stomach area," Ms Reeves told the jury.

Under cross-examination by Ms Isobel Kennedy, SC, defence counsel, Ms Reeves admitted that it was a possibility that she was in error when she said she saw the knife because her vision was blocked.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White at the Central Criminal Court tommorow.