Jury watch footage of murder accused talking to gardaí

A young Dublin man accused of murder told gardaí that he “never thought” he would be capable of “sticking a blade into someone”, the Central Criminal Court heard today.

Mark Green (aged 20), Tritonville Rd, Sandymount, Dublin 4, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Alan Young (aged 19), George Reynolds House, Ringsend, at or near Bremen Rd, Irishtown, Dublin on March 11 last year.

Mr Young was found near Irishtown sports stadium with a stab wound in his chest.

A recording of interviews conducted between Gardaí and Mr Green at Donnybrook Garda Station in the hours after the alleged murder was shown to the jury today.

Mr Green was seen telling Detective Sergeant Mark Kavanagh and Detective Garda Maeve O’Sullivan that he “didn’t mean it to happen.”

“Sticking a blade into someone, I never thought I’d be capable of doing that,” he told them.

“I was waving the knife. I extended my arm when Alan [Young] walked at me and the blade punctured him.”

Mr Green told the Gardaí that on the Saturday night he had been having a pint in the Irishtown House pub when Mr Young approached him.

“He [Mr Young] said, ‘You’re a dirtbird’ and pointed his finger at me. He came over and hit me a slap in the face and started saying, ‘You’re a scumbag’ and that I went round telling people he sold E to people who died, which I never said, cause he never sold E.”

Mr Green told the Gardaí that Mr Young had “punched and kicked” him later that night but that he “didn’t want to fight.”

“I don’t want to fight with anyone ever,” he told the Gardaí.

Mr Green said that he went to a friend’s house and got a knife for “protection”.

He said he returned outside and that Mr Young was not there. He said that he told Erika Nangle, Mr Young’s niece, that he was there to talk to Mr Young.

He said that Ms Nangle rang Mr Young and told him: “Greener wants a go off you.”

“I shouted I didn’t say such thing so Alan could hear it on the other end of the phone.”

Mr Green told the Gardaí that when Mr Young arrived he “started shouting in my face.”

“I didn’t run at him. I took the knife from my pocket and said, ‘Don’t you dare’ as he walked toward me. I had the knife in my right hand... The blade was pointing kind of towards him. He kept coming towards me and then shouted, ‘He’s after stabbing me’.”

The video showed Det Sgt Kavanagh asking Mr Green why he tried to attract the Gardai’s attention after the alleged murder and Mr Green telling him: “Because I knew I’d done something wrong and cause I wouldn’t know how to live with it if I didn’t say anything.

“I was thinking about killing myself and I was thinking about going to Irishtown police station cause I knew I had to tell the police.”

Detective Garda O’Sullivan told the court today/yesterday that Mr Green was “in a distressed state” during the interview and “continually asking if Alan would be okay.”

“When he was informed that Alan Young had died, he became very upset,” she said.

The trial continues tomorrow.