Turkish barber 'saw wife bleeding then cut his own throat'

A Turkish barber, who stabbed his estranged partner in front of their 21-month-old son, described to gardaí the shock of seeing the mother of his child collapse bleeding and then cutting his own throat.

Hadim Kedik (aged 33), with an address at 10 Connolly Street, Clonakilty, Co Cork, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Rose Patterson (aged 30), between April 11 and 12, last year.

Kedik has admitted to gardaí he caused the stab wounds that killed Ms Patterson, but he said he did not plan to kill her.

The jury of eight men and four women were read a statement taken from Kedik four days after Ms Patterson was found dead in his apartment and he laying face down with cuts to his throat and wrists, their son asleep near their bodies.

In it Kedik says Ms Patterson was late bringing their child for an access visit and the couple were arguing over the child’s injured finger.

Kedik says he offered to make Ms Patterson a cup of tea but she told him she did not want it and pushed him to the floor, pushing him again as he got up.

He picked up a thin black handled knife from the kitchen table and, as she tried to grab it, he swung it at her.

“I took the knife and I swung it I don’t know if it hit her or not,” the statement read.

He remembered seeing her sitting on their couch wearing his jersey.

“In the beginning I didn’t realise, then later I saw blood.”…

“With the shock of that moment I cut my throat.”

Bleeding he stumbled, falling around the apartment above the barbershop where he worked and had lived since he split with Ms Patterson.

He said he saw MsPatterson get up, “then she collapsed next to the door. Next to me the child was sleeping then he woke up.”

He said he tried to give the baby some milk but bleeding from his throat and wrists he had cut with a razor, “I hardly stood up.”

Their son was on the armchair.

“I put on the CD of cartoon. I fell down again.”

He said he had told Ms Patterson it was his day with their son.

Earlier the court was read translations of two letters written in Turkish found in the apartment.

One was addressed to his friend Romazan Cansu who he had come to Ireland with, from Turkey in 2002, to work at the 'A Cut Above' barbershop in Clonakilty.

“Perhaps you are going to resentfully judge me for what I have done but please don’t do so,” it read.

“What I thought was beautiful thing which didn’t happen my friend my thought was also to kill (my son) but I always watched him,” it said.

“He is a clever boy I can’t do it.”

He said he would only kill Ms Patterson and then himself.

A second letter read to the court and written to an address in Turkey said he was sorry to upset his family but he would always be with them.

“My conscious is clear. I love Rose but whatever she said or did neither represents me or my family.”

The letter said his son was clever and he could not kill him.

“I can’t carry some things anymore and this is my problem. This is my life and I’m ending it,” the letter read.

Mr John O’Kelly SC is appearing for the DPP and Mr Blaise O’Carroll appears for Kedik.

The trial before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy continues.