Accused has sympathy for stab victim, court told

A man accused of fatally stabbing another man said that "of course" he had remorse for the dead man, the Central Criminal Court heard today in a witness statement.

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 Aldevinias Gudavicious, aged 34, and to threatening to harm Jonas Bernotas, aged 21, on the same date in Lucan.

In a statement of a garda interview with the accused, read to the jury, Makarov was asked: "In view of the fact that we have one person dead and one person seriously injured, do you have any remorse?"

"Of course I have remorse," Makarov replied. "These people have parents. They were not firemen or policemen, they did not die in the line of duty. It hurts me to find out that they came to another country to die," he added.

The court also heard evidence from Detective Garda Ciaran Jackman of the Garda Technical Bureau, Fingerprint Section, in relation to the kitchen knife seized at the scene of the crime.

"There were no fingerprints found on the knife," Detective Garda Jackman told the court.

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

Prosecution closed its case today, with final submissions to the jury given by Mr Thomas James McCarthy SC.

Defence counsel Mr Hugh Hartnett SC began closing submissions today, which will continue tomorrow morning.

The jury of five men and seven women is expected to retire tomorrow to consider its verdict.