Ear recovered after pub fight

A jury has heard how part of a bar owner's ear was retrieved moments after it was allegedly bitten off by a man on trial during a fight.

Mr David O'Reilly said he found the earlobe in blood near the back wheel of a bike that had toppled over in the fight between the accused and the bar owner outside Phibsborough House pub on June 06, 2006.

He told prosecution counsel, Ms Eilis Brennan BL, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, that he did not realise Mr Jim Clarke was missing his earlobe until he was told shortly after by two barman inside the pub.

Jonathan Martin (aged 23), Barton Road East, Dundrum made admissions through his counsel on day-1 of the trial that he assaulted Mr Clarke, intentionally harming him but claimed in his garda statement that he did so out of self-defence.

Mr O'Reilly said he suspected there might be trouble when he saw one of Mr Martin's friends grab a bottle by the neck and follow the accused and the injured party outside to the front porch smoking area.

He said Mr Martin had earlier commented on his "big nose" and stolen his pint inside the pub before the altercation and he said he saw the accused strike the first blow after he exchanged words with Mr Clarke.

He told Ms Brennan that after a first brief scuffle where he pulled the accused off Mr Clarke, the accused was "very vexed and annoyed" and wanted to know if Mr Clarke was a bouncer.

Mr O'Reilly said he then saw the accused raise his hand at the bar manager and the two fell over a bike with Mr Martin on top of Mr Clarke.

Mr O'Reilly said the accused looked confused and his face was dripping with blood when he pulled him off Mr Clarke again.

He disagreed with defence counsel, Mr Remy Farrell Bl, that Mr Clarke enlisted his help to fight the accused, saying that he was 52-years-old, overweight, had two operations on his knees and wasn't an aggressive person.

"I would be the last person Jim Clarke would ask for help."

He denied he spoke to Mr Clarke before giving evidence when Mr Farrell put it to him that it was odd he could remember that Mr Clarke had white and blue bandages on his hand but couldn't remember his attire.

Mr O'Reilly said he had no reason "to speak with a man who had part of his ear bitten off."

Mr Farrell put it to him: "I would have thought they'd have spoken of little else up in Phibsborough House in the aftermath of something like this."

He added: "The jury can make up their minds whether they think that is totally and utterly absurd."

Mr Martin said in evidence that he was aware of around four men whom he assumed were bouncers follow him and Mr Clarke out of the pub.

He denied Ms Brennan's suggestion during cross-examination that he was the main aggressor in the incident "fuelled up on vodka, Red Bull and bravado" and that if he should have been concerned if he thought he was being pursued by a group of bouncers.

The trial continues before Judge Frank O' Donnell and a jury of six men and six women.