Murder accused bragged about attack, security guard tells court

A Lithuanian national accused of murder allegedly told a security guard at a night club that he had "caught up" with the deceased and "stabbed him up".

Arnuldas Kuliavas told the court that he had thought the accused man was bragging.

Under cross examination by defence counsel, Roger Sweetman SC, the witness denied that what the accused had actually said was that he had witnessed the deceased being stabbed.

Mantas Pauliukonis (aged 25), with an address at Park West, Dublin 12, pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Aleksandrs Filusins at Oaklands Avenue, Swords on June 3, 2007.

He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Sergej Cuksejev causing him harm at Taylor's Public House in Swords on the same date.

Mr Kuliavas was the head doorman at a 'Russian disco' held at the public house at the time of the alleged offence. He said there was a fight in the car park and that the accused was involved.

He said the accused was there with an older man and two others. The older man had been hit in the face and was bleeding from the lip. Mr Kuliavas said that this man said the deceased had punched him.

The accused was looking for the deceased but Mr Kuliavas told him to 'leave it' and go home. He said the accused and two men then got into a car and drove away.

Later the men in the car returned and asked Mr Kuliavas if anyone could drive the vehicle as they had been stopped by gardaí. The doorman said the accused was upset about being stopped and having to walk home.

According to the doorman the accused 'comforted' himself about the situation by bragging 'at least we caught up with him'. Mr Kuliavas asked 'who?' and the accused replied 'the guy that did it'.

Mr Kuliavas told Gerard Clarke SC, prosecuting, that the accused used 'Lithuanian slang' to say 'we stabbed him up'.

The witness said he understood the accused to be refering to the deceased.

Mr Kuliavas agreed with Mr Sweetman that he had been brought to Ireland from Lithuania to give evidence in this trial and had been in custody in his home country in relation to a fraud charge.

Asked by Mr Sweetman if he had noticed blood on the accused or on his friends, Mr Kuliavas replied that he did not.

Dr Kieron MacDonnell told the court that the deceased had died as a result of massive blood loss. He had received a stab wound to his inner right thigh which entirely severed his femoral artery.

Dr MacDonnell agreed with Mr Sweetman that a severed artery would cause 'profuse bleeding' and 'spurting'.

He was shown photographs of the area where the deceased was found and agreed that there was a large quantity of blood and splattering.

A second secuirty guard from the disco, Andrei Bzizatijs, told the court that he saw the accused in the carpark with a folding knife.

Mr Bzizatijs said he told the accused to take it home and the accused then got into a car with two other men and drove away.

Mr Sweetman suggested to Mr Bzizatijis that it was easy to identify the accused man because he was sitting in the dock and that if he met him on the street he might not be able to identify him.

The witness replied: 'Maybe, maybe not'.

The trial continues before Mr Justice George Birmingham and a jury of six men and six women.