Man 'grinned as he stabbed murder victim'

A Waterford man “was grinning” as he repeatedly stabbed another man after intervening in a fight over a CD, a witness at the Central Criminal Court has claimed.

Mr Rossa Blackmore was giving evidence in the trial of Mr Anthony Stone (aged 21) from Ardmore Park, Ballybeg, Waterford, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Simon Carton (aged 33), who died on September 8 last following a row at his flat on Barrack Street in Waterford city.

Mr Stone earlier admitted the manslaughter of Mr Carton but this has not been accepted by the State.

Mr Blackmore told prosecuting counsel Mr Edward Comyn SC (with Mr Paul Greene BL) that he had not seen Mr Carton for some time when he met him near Barrack Street and was invited back to his flat for a coffee.

About an hour and a half later he said the accused and another man, James Halligan, knocked on the door and came into the flat.

He knew of them both and said they were welcome in the flat. However he said: “My antennae went up. I didn’t feel good about it.”

Mr Blackmore said that Mr Halligan later started to become grumpy and obnoxious and that “I basically knew he was going to try to start something”.

Mr Stone was sitting on a stool at the other side of the room at this point. The witness said the group were all chatting, Mr Halligan was finishing off a can of beer and they were listening to a CD by UB40.

Mr Halligan said that he wanted to borrow the CD and asked Mr Blackmore to vouch for him that it would be returned.

Mr Carton refused to give Mr Halligan the CD but offered to make a copy of the disc. At this point, Mr Halligan began “acting the git” and tried to “go for the CD” while Mr Carton placed himself in front of the stereo.

“As far as I can see, basically the two of them started pushing and shoving each other,” said Mr Blackmore.

A punch was thrown and he said the accused then “picked up a knife from behind a piece of cardboard and proceeded to stab Simon”.

He said that Mr Stone stabbed the deceased “more than five” times and added: “I saw his face as well, and he was grinning.”

Under cross-examination from Mr Patrick McCarthy SC (with Mr Colman Cody BL) for the accused, Mr Blackmore said that he remembered “a punch being landed” and thought it was Mr Carton hitting Mr Halligan.

However, he denied that Mr Carton had the upper hand and was trying to strangle Mr Halligan. “No, I do ’t remember him putting his hands in any kind of choke around the man’s neck,” he said.

Mr Halligan gave evidence that after fighting with Mr Carton he found blood “down my face and in my hair, it just squirted out, like”.

Asked to whom the blood belonged he said: “I didn’t know. I wasn’t even thinking that.” He said both he and Mr Stone were panicking and rushed out of the flat.

Asked by Mr Comyn why he wanted to take the CD when the victim did not want to give it to him he said: “Because I liked UB40. I didn’t want to take it. I just wanted a lend of it.”

He is due to resume his evidence when the trial continues today (Weds) before Mr Justice Eamon de Valera and a jury of seven women and five men.