Murder accused was defending family, court hears

A man accused of stabbing another man to death said he did not realise he had stabbed anyone until a garda told him a man was dead, the Central Criminal Court heard today in video evidence.

Valerij Makarov (aged 25), also known as 'Andris Simonis', Earlsfort Drive, Lucan, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tomas Lukosevicious (aged 30), on May 11, 2003 in Lucan.

The accused has also pleaded not guilty to causing intentional or reckless harm to Mr Aldevinias Gudavicious (aged 34) and to threatening to harm Jonas Bernotas (aged 21), on the same date in Lucan.

The jury of five men and seven women has viewed videotaped evidence of an interview with the accused, conducted by Garda Damien Gannon at Ronanstown Garda Station on the morning of May 12, 2003.

On the tape, the accused has told how a "short and fat" man kicked in his door and started threatening him in his kitchen, where the accused pulled a knife out of a drawer and tried "to just pinch him, so he would feel pain and run away".

The court heard that the accused then saw two more men enter his home, where his sister-in-law was upstairs with two young children.

"I tried to get her and my daughter away from him," Makarov said. "When I saw the second man I ran towards him with the knife, and he just ran out," he said.

The accused said that outside the house, one of the men slipped and fell. Asked if the he "pushed the knife" into the man when he was on the ground, the accused replied: "No."

Makarov was asked the same question again and then replied: "No, I can't say. Amnesia. It happened so fast. I was defending my family, I would do anything to defend my family.

"I didn't feel the knife go in," he said.

Makarov said he was afraid for his family. "These people, they broke into my house," he added.

While he was next to the man on the ground, the accused spotted the third man and ran after him. "I didn't know if he had a knife or a gun or anything, so I kept my distance," he said.

The man ran into a neighbour's yard, where the accused followed him to the gate with the knife. "I told him I would kill him if he came close to my house," Makarov said.

The accused said he then turned back towards his home when he "saw that there was no threat to me anymore, he was afraid of me".

Makarov went back to his house where his sister-and-law told him she had wiped blood off the floor.

"I didn't see blood, she cleaned it because my child could see it, she's only two-and-a-half," he said.

Makarov was asked on the tape when did he realise "what it was like for a knife to go in", to which he replied: "When one of the officers said that one of them was dead."

The court also heard evidence from Makarov's landlord, Mr Niall Malone, who said the accused was always "very welcoming, a gentleman".

Mr Malone had returned to the crime scene with the wife of the accused a few days later to make repairs to the front door, the court heard.

The court has heard that Mr Lukosevicious bled to death from nine stab wounds.

The trial continues Monday before Mr Justice Barry White.