Man claims co-accused was 'the man' in stabbing

One of the men on trial for murder in the Mahon area of Cork last year said he was not taking the blame for something he didn’t do and claimed that his co-accused was "the man".

This evidence emerged at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork today as a transcript of an interview with John Brett was read to the jury where he admitted punching Brian McKee but not stabbing him.

Brett, aged 25, of 26A Leitrim Street, Cork, and Jason Quinlan, aged 29, of 11 Loughmahon Drive, Mahon, Cork, both deny murdering Brian McKee, aged 24, at Ballinure Avenue, Mahon, Cork, on August 25, 2007.

Brett told Detective Sergeant Malachy White: “I gave him two punches in the side of the head. Quinny is the man like, Quinny is the man. I am not taking the s**t for something I didn’t do.

“I didn’t do anything to make that boy bleed. I swear on my baby’s life - I wouldn’t murder a dog not to mind say a person,” Brett said.

“On my son’s life I used no weapons on him, on my two babies’ lives that they might die in their sleep I gave him two slaps in the head. You want me to admit to f***ing murder or something, I am not a murderer,” he said.

Brett described Quinlan having a big broken bottle in his hand. At another stage in the interview he said a 'young fella' gave Quinlan a knife in the alleyway and said: “Quinny, here, here, here.”

Early in the first interview with Brett, the day after the fatal incident, Brett said it was curiosity and a desire to intervene between Jason Quinlan and Brian McKee that brought him to the scene.

“I went to break it up, the other fella was after getting stabbed quite a few times. I couldn’t break it, I was down between the two of them. The Brian McKee fella started shouting after being cut. Three girls were saying, 'he’s stabbing him, he’s stabbing him', but I didn’t because I had no knife in my hand.

“I didn’t see him being cut, he was obviously cut. By the time I ran up there was blood on Jason’s hands... I want to say one thing, I didn’t even know the boy, I had no reason to cause harm, it was out of curiosity I bumped into him,” Brett said.

Before Brett described punching Mr McKee twice in the head to break it up, it was put to him by Det. Sgt White: “You were involved in an assault on Brian McKee?”

Brett replied: “No, I definitely was not involved. If anything I tried to break it up so it would not go any further.”

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney and jury tomorrow and the jury may be required to hear further evidence on Sunday also.