Murder-accused told gardaí that he stabbed man because he was scared

A Dublin man accused of murder told gardaí during interviews that he stabbed another man twice because he was afraid of his life, the Central Criminal Court heard today.

Bernard Christopher Joyce (Brian Joyce), aged 22, has denied murdering Mr James Donoghue (aged 26) as part of a joint enterprise with two other men at Dane Road, Ballymun, Dublin on September 10, 2006. He also denies charges of violent disorder and production of a knife on the same date.

Mr Joyce told gardaí that James Donoghue was too big and strong and was swinging a bottle at his face. He said; ‘I asked him repeatedly to get back. I said ‘please go back go back!’ and at that precise moment I was afraid of my life’.

He said; ‘I had the knife in my hand and I swear it wasn’t a stab it was like a poke twice and he was still standing and I just ran.’

The jury heard there was an initial altercation between the two men accompanying Mr Joyce and a number of people who were with Mr Donoghue on the night of the incident.

Mr Joyce told gardaí that he wasn’t involved in this attack but was hiding behind a wall. He said; ‘I could hear bottles breaking and a head hitting the wall.’

The court heard that Mr Joyce met up with his friends some time later and that they were armed with knives. Mr Joyce said; ‘they provoked me to go back cause it was them who was looking for vengeance I was ready to call it a night’.

Mr Joyce said he saw one of his companions stab Mr Donoghue and intervened to break up the two. He said: "He turned his attention to me, it was like he was on something he just kept comin at me."

Mr Joyce told gardaí that he never meant to hurt anybody and that he had no choice. He said: "You must understand he left me no choice I literally begged him to stop. If I had a plan B I would have taken the plan B."

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