Murder accused denies racist remark

One of two men accused of murdering a Chinese man told the court he "never made any racist remark" and "fundamentally disagreed" with accounts given by his co-accused about how the fatal incident started, a jury at the Central Criminal Court heard today.

James Harmer (aged 27) of the Abbey Court Hostel, Bachelors Walk, Dublin, and Noel O'Flaherty (aged 34) of McCormack Gardens, Baldoyle, Co Dublin, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ly Minh Luong (aged 50) at Temple Bar, Dublin on August 19, 2002.