Friend told accused to 'leg it', murder trial hears

A jury in the trial of a 20-year-old Dublin man accused of murder today heard that the accused allegedly told his friend: "Paddy is dead", "I don't know what to do, my head is f**ked up, I don't know what to do."

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

The prosecution claims that Mr Larkin stabbed the victim after the pair had been involved in a slagging match or row after drinking in the Plough bar for several hours.

The prosecution claim that after Mr Larkin threw a glass at Mr Costello's head they both ended up at the porch of the bar where the accused allegedly drew his knife from the inside of his jacket and lunged it into the chest of the deceased.

After the victim was stabbed, it is claimed that Mr Larkin allegedly fled the scene, withdrew money from an ATM machine and continued drinking in the Forum bar in the city centre before passing by the scene again in the early hours of July 5, 2002.

Deirdre Smith, a friend of the accused, today told the jury of eight men and four women in the third day of the murder trial that after Mr Larkin allegedly stabbed the deceased, she told him to "leg it" from the scene.

The next day at 7.30am in the morning, Mrs Smith claims that Mr Larkin rang telling her that Mr Costello was dead and that he didn't know what to do.

Mrs Smith told the jury that Mr Larkin rang again and she told him to "hand himself up".

When she asked him about the knife, Mr Larkin allegedly told her: "I have the knife with me," telling her that he was at work.

At 11am on the same day, July 5, 2002, Mrs Smith claims she rang the accused from a payphone at the GPO on O'Connell Street: "He said, 'I'm going to hand myself up'."

Today Michelle McCree, who was drinking at the Plough bar with her then boyfriend, Thomas Martin, gave evidence.

She told the jury that Mr Larkin and the deceased were sitting at their table when a row broke out regarding the deceased throwing stones when he was teenager.

After the row she claims the atmosphere was bad between the accused and the deceased prompting her then boyfriend to tell Mr Costello "to watch his back" because Mr Larkin "had a knife".

"Mr Larkin had a bag with him and in the bag there was a knife. He had it on the table earlier," Ms McCree said today.

After the row, Ms McCree claims that Mr Costello attempted to shake hands with the accused but Mr Larkin "wouldn't shake his hand", Ms McCree claims.

After the accused allegedly threw a pint glass at the deceased he went outside onto Marlborough Street, according to Ms McCree.

"He had a knife in his hand at that stage. He put it into his jacket," Ms McCree claims.

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