Witness says he saw fight before Sligo murder

An eye-witness has testified that he saw a murder accused "belting" and "thumping" a man in the stomach and chest in the stairway of his house, a murder trial jury heard at the Central Criminal court today.

Mr Tom Nugent (aged 63) was giving evidence at the murder trial of Mr Patrick McGrath (aged 60) of Holborn St, Sligo, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr James Murphy (aged 50) at Holborn St, Sligo on March 22, 2002.

Mr Nugent and the accused, Mr McGrath, lived in flats inside a house on Holborn St, Sligo, at the time of Mr Murphy’s death. He told Mr Edward Comyn SC, prosecuting, that the deceased and the accused were "good friends" at the time and that the victim, Mr Murphy, was a close neighbour.

Mr Nugent told Mr Comyn that on the morning of the alleged murder he met the accused in the communal kitchen: "He said he wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t look well that morning".

He said he was cooking in the kitchen around midday when he "heard a vicious banging at the front door…Mr Murphy was at the door. He was looking for PJ McGrath. I think he had a good bit of drink taken," he said.

"He was very vicious, very vicious that morning. He came into my room then and he asked me for a pen and some paper. Whatever he wrote on I, I don’t know," said Mr Nugent.

He told the court that Mr McGrath returned home around midday and Mr Murphy began "roaring and shouting that he’d kill PJ and PJ called him into his room". He said he tried to calm Mr Murphy down, led him down the stairs and showed him to the door and he thought Mr Murphy left the house.

However, when Mr Nugent went into the downstairs kitchen, he said he heard another commotion on the stairs. "The next thing I heard was PJ coming down the stairs. When I came to the door he had Mr Murphy up against the wall and was belting him in the stomach," he said.

"I saw PJ thumping, very vicious, Mr Murphy in the chest. I caught Mr McGrath and pulled him back.

"Mr McGrath went upstairs and Mr Murphy went out the front door," Mr Nugent told the jury. "I was very upset" he added.

He said Mr McGrath then came into his room and said "he was after stabbing Mr Murphy".

"I said to Mr McGrath it was too late to be sorry. He said he was sorry for stabbing Mr Murphy," said Mr Nugent. He said he went up to Mr Murphy’s house as he was concerned for him and found him "back against the sofa. He was very pale".

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney tomorrow.