Arklow murder trial continues

A Dublin man accused of murder told gardaí at Arklow station his alleged victim 'f****d up' by messing with him, a court has heard.

Anthony O’Reilly (aged 22) with an address at Cleggan Park, Ballyfermot, Dublin, is charged with the murder of Daniel McDonald (aged 21) on Main Street, Arklow on February 2, 2007.

O’Reilly has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr McDonald, dangerous driving causing the death of Mr McDonald and intentionally or recklessly grabbing the steering wheel of Jenny Tobin’s car causing it to swerve in the direction of Mr McDonald.

The Central Criminal Court at Dublin heard O’Reilly got into Miss Tobin’s black car after the red Honda Civic he had been driving hit Mr McDonald. He demanded she drive him to the garda station.

Sergeant Thomas Finnerty was working when O’Reilly arrived in a drunken, agitated state saying three Arklow lads had beaten him up.

O’Reilly stood in the foyer and splashed blood from a gash above his eye at the Sergeant and later demanded he take photographs of his injuries, the court heard.

O’Reilly was arrested of public disorder and placed in the cells as the Sergeant received a call about a possible fatal accident in the town’s main street where a man had been struck by a car.

Mr Finnerty told the court he spoke to O’Reilly and told him he had to attend and accident scene.

“He said I didn’t mean for him to die. I was driving the car that hit him. He f****d up messing with me, f*** him anyway,” Mr Finnerty said.

O’Reilly was released from custody but arrested again later that morning for dangerous driving to which he replied: “I’m very sorry, guard.”

Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins and the jury of six men and six women have heard O’Reilly and Mr McDonald got into a fight in Arklow’s Rascals nightclub and were thrown out.

The fight continued on the street with O’Reilly getting into a black car demanding the driver, Miss Tobin, drive him away as Mr McDonald kicked at the window and got his foot stuck.

Mr McDonald freed his foot and the car drove off, the court has heard, but it returned into the main street O’Reilly reaching over to grab the steering wheel and force it in Mr McDonald’s direction near the footpath.

O’Reilly then got out of Miss Tobin’s car and into his own red Honda Civic driving up the main street turning and coming down it at speed, hitting Mr McDonald, the court has heard.

In statements O’Reilly voluntarily gave to gardaí, read to the court, O’Reilly said a group of between six and eight Arklow lads had come up to him and his friends on the dance floor of Rascals “looking for aggro”.

He asked one, Mc Donald, what his problem was and O’Reilly claimed McDonald then told him to f*** off and hit him.

O’Reilly told Gardaí the fight continued on the street and fleeing he got into the black car telling the driver to “f***in' drive this car”.

He said he remember banging the glove box and was angry because “I was after being jumped on for no good reason just because I don’t come from this town”.

O’Reilly did not remember grabbing the steering wheel from Miss Tobin but he said he remembered getting into his own red Honda Civic when he saw it stopped in the street.

“I said to myself this I my car and this is my way out of here.”

He drove up the street but realise he was going the wrong way so turned the car “red lining” it back down the street.

He said the road curved so he moved into the left lane to take the corner but just as he was on the bend Mr McDonald walked out in front of him.

“I was going so hard I couldn’t stop, I’m almost sure the ABS locked up, I remember the glass hitting me,” O’Reilly told gardaí.

When his car stopped he said he ran to the black car and demanded to be taken to the garda station.

“I definitely didn’t mean to hit this fella with my car, he just stepped out in front of me, I just saw his face and I knew something was terribly wrong.”

The trial continues.