Man died as a result of two stab wounds

A 26 year-old Google employee died as a result of two stab wounds to his chest and abdomen which damaged his lung, bowel and aorta, a Central Criminal Court jury has heard.

State Pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy, told the court that Mark Spellman suffered two penetrating stab wounds, one of which was 18 cm in depth.

Dane Pearse (aged 22) of Londonbridge Drive, Irishtown, Dublin, denies murdering Mr Spellman, from Dalkey, at Londonbridge Road, Irishtown on August 4, 2007.

Prof. Cassidy told Isobel Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that she conducted a post mortem on the deceased at the City Morgue and that his clothes had been removed. He was dressed in a blue hospital gown which was soaked in blood.

Mr. Spellman was stabbed on the right and left side of his trunk. One wound was 18cm in depth and entered his abdomen, went through is bowel and sliced across his aorta. Another wound of 3cm in depth pierced his lung and damaged a rib.

Prof. Cassidy said both wounds were potentially fatal although the deeper wound would have been of more pressing concern to medics as it caused a large amount of blood loss.

She also found cuts to Mr Spellman's hand and wrist which she said may have been defensive wounds from trying to block or grasp a knife during a struggle.

Prof. Cassidy was shown an ornamental knife which gardai found in Mr Pearse's kitchen following the incident and she said that the knife could have caused all of the injuries suffered by Mr. Spellman. She said the blade was 18cm from tip to hilt.

She told the court that Mr. Spellman's death was not necessarily immediate and that he may have been capable of movement for a short time before he would have collapsed due to blood loss and difficulty breathing.

Prof. Cassidy agreed with Diarmaid McGuinness SC, defending, that the movement of the deceased and the assailant during a struggle could affect injuries.

Mr McGuinness suggested to her that she could not exclude the possibility that an injury may have been caused by Mr Spellman falling on the ground to which she replied: "all I can say is that it is an injury caused by a knife".

Dr Geraldine O'Donnell from the forensic science laboratory told the court that DNA matching the accused and the deceased was found on the blade of the ornamental knife.

The court had heard that Mr Spellman was walking home from a work night out with two male friends when he became involved with the accused and his girlfriend on the street.

Following a confrontation Mr Pearse went into his house and took a souvenir bat and the ornamental knife from his bedroom.

Ms Kennedy read out memos of a Garda interview with the accused in which he said he did not go back out of his house with the intention of hurting Mr. Spellman but instead wanted to frighten him.

Mr Pearse told gardaí that he ran towards the men but "froze" when they did not run away. He said they ran at him and Mr. Spellman grabbed him by the collar and pushed him into a garden. "I didn't purposely stick the knife into him," he said.

The accused said he did not have the guts to stab anyone and that he knew the damage a knife could do as a friend of his had been stabbed.

When asked why he did not stay in his house he said: "I don't know, I wanted to scare him."

The hearing continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of six men and six women.