Man on trial for muder cried when told of death

One of the men on trial for murder in the Mahon area of Cork last year testified today that he never intended to kill or injure and that he cried when he was told that the other man was dead.

Jason Quinlan (aged 29), of 11 Loughmahon Drive, Mahon, Cork, and John Brett (aged 25), of 26A Leitrim Street, Cork, both deny murdering Brian McKee (aged 24), at Ballinure Avenue, Mahon, Cork, on August 25, 2007, at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.

Quinlan said he stabbed Mr McKee once as they both fell to the ground and he could not account for how the deceased ended up with eleven stab wounds. He said he didn’t see Brett or Mr McKee with a knife or a broken bottle during the incident. Quinlan said: “If I stabbed Brian more than once why was there no blood on me?”

It was put to him that he told detectives that he could have stabbed Mr McKee two or three times and he replied: “I never said that.”

Quinlan said he was getting tablets from the guards and that they were reading out things and he was agreeing to them without realising what they were saying as his mind was up in a heap with everything that was happening.

“I am admitting I did something to Brian, I am not looking for anything, I am just looking for the truth. I want the truth to come out not just for me but for Brian’s family as well,” Quinlan said.

He said he often argued with Brian McKee but that they would talk to each other again afterwards.

“Brian was a nice fella. But he started taking drugs. His head started to go and his relationship with Ciara (Delaney) was gone. And not just that, his child, everyone wants to be around their child.

“Brian was taking drugs and getting more and more paranoid, he was taking them for so long. I know because I used to be like that, you start thinking things that are not true, you come up with your own story but it’s not the way things are around you at all,” Quinlan testified.

Quinlan said he did not know his co-accused, John Brett, had never met him before the night of August 24/25, 2007 and did not like him. Under cross-examination by Blaise O’Carroll, senior counsel, Quinlan said: “You are representing John Brett, why didn’t you ask him what did he do it for? He is trying to say he did nothing. Maybe you can take him away and ask him and come back and tell us.

“John Brett said he didn’t do anything only give him two digs and he is covered top to toe, back to front in Brian’s blood, come on now boy,” Quinlan said to Mr O’Carroll SC.

The jury may retire to consider their verdicts in the joint trial of Brett and Quinlan some time tomorrow.