Harbison evidence heard at Tallaght murder trial

Former State Pathologist Professor John Harbison today gave evidence in the trial of a 20-year-old Dublin man accused of stabbing his girlfriend's former boyfriend.

Mr Peter Murray (aged 20) of Donomore Crescent, Killinarden, Tallaght, denies stabbing Mr Peter Bisset (aged 23) of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght, on April 12, 2002 at Donomore Crescent, Killinarden, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Dr Harbison today told the jury that "the deceased died from a right haemo-thorax, bleeding to death in the right chest cavity".

The knife, he said "entered the right chest cavity between the right fourth and fifth rib, passed through the right lung and ended in the right atrium of the heart".

The deceased, Dr Harbison said, suffered six wounds - to the chest, the face and to the arms.

"The arm injuries could be defensive in character. When a person is attacked with a knife they tend to put arms up to protect themselves. Wounds to the arms are generally sustained when the victim is attempting to defend themselves," Dr Harbison said.

Today Mr Patrick McCarthy SC, for the prosecution, showed Dr Harbison the alleged murder weapon, a seven-and-a-half-inch knife.

"The knife is consistent with inflicting the fatal wound to the chest," Dr Harbison said. "The knife is described as a bread knife but is also can be used to cut meat.

"It has a tooth-edged blade. There is staining on both sides of the knife which is consistent with blood. This blood staining comes to all but a half an inch of the seven-and-a-half-inch knife", the former State Pathologist said.

The court heard that the deceased had been in a relationship with Ms Catherine Hall and had a child with her.

This relationship had subsequently broken up.

Ms Hall then became the girlfriend of the accused, living with him and her child, whom she had with Mr Bisset at Donomore Crescent,Tallaght.

It is claimed that after Mr Bisset drank six cans of cider in the laneway near his home at Cushlawn Park in Tallaght with his friend Mr Christopher Kearns, Mr Bisset and his friend went up to Ms Hall's house to talk to her about his child.

The prosecution says it was some time after 11pm.

After the deceased had a conversation with his ex-girlfriend through the top window of her bedroom, it is claimed that the accused and his brother Mr Thomas Murray then came out the front door and ran after the deceased and Mr Kearns with sticks.

The accused is said to have beat and stabbed Mr Bisset, leaving him lying on the pavement of Donomore Crescent, Tallaght.

Today Mrs Jackeline Craven told the jury that on the night of the incident she saw two men and a women having a heated argument.

The man and the women then left and the argument seemed to be over, Mrs Craven said.

"Then the girl and the fellow went running back towards the other fellow. He had what looked like a pipe in his hands and he started to beat the other fellow with it," Mrs Craven told the jury of eight men and four women.

The man, Mrs Craven said, was hitting the deceased on the ground.

The deceased, she said, was "kind of rolled up" on the ground in an attempt to protect himself from being attacked.

"The man kept beating him on the ground and the woman was roaring and shouting," she said.

"I heard the girl screaming. I am not sure if she said: 'Kill him, kill him', or 'You're going to kill him'," Mrs Craven told the jury on the second day of the murder trial.

Mr Bernard Hughes, who lives directly opposite where Mr Bisset was stabbed today gave evidence.

He told the jury that on the night in question, he looked out his window after he heard a fracas outside.

Mr Hughes said he saw two men standing over a man lying on the ground.

"The guy with the stick kept beating the man on the ground in the head. The other man tried to get him off the man on the ground," Mr Hughes said.

The man beating the deceased, according to Mr Hughes, said: "I'm going to kill you, you f**king bastard," as Mr Bisset lay dying on the pavement.

Then, as the two men left the deceased, the man who was beating Mr Bisset shouted: "If I catch you near my girlfriend again, I'll kill you stone dead," said Mr Hughes.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Barry White.