Murder accused teen claimed father had fallen over drunk

A teenager accused of murdering his father rang for an ambulance and said his father had fallen over drunk outside their house, had been outside overnight and was not breathing, a jury has heard.

Nineteen-year-old Thomas Cunningham rang Mary Conway at ambulance control just after 8am and said that Thomas Brendan Cunningham had smashed his head after drinking the night before. He said his father had fallen and could not be lifted so spent the night outside with a blanket over him.

Mr Cunningham Junior, of Santa Maria Commons, Ballinlough, Roscommon denies murdering his father on August 23, 2007, at the family home where he lived with his father and grandparents.

On day two of the Central Criminal Court trial, the jury heard from a number of witnesses who had seen the deceased on the day before his death drinking in a number of pubs in Castlrea and Ballinlough

Donna Madden told Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that she had been working in Tully’s Hotel, Castlerea on August 22, 2007. She said the deceased clearly had drink on him and tried to pay for more with a post office card. He fell down outside the pub and was looking for a bus home.

Pat Kelly was drinking in Tully’s and told Mr Gageby that he noticed a man with an English accent who tried to pay with a card which was not accepted. He said: “I thought he was a miserable wretch, whatever was eating at him”.

He said he felt sorry for him and gave him €20 to get a taxi home.

Maire Regan of the Kilmore Inn, Ballinlough, said the deceased arrived there at around 11pm. She said he was agitated because he had lost a key. She said he was a regular in the pub and was normally very quiet and polite.

Michael Donnellan told the court that he ran a pub in Ballinlough village and the deceased would call in there on his way home from drinking elsewhere each night. Mr Donnellan said Mr Cunningham would sit alone and drink four pints while reading the newspaper or watching the news.

Mr Donnellan said the deceased was not in his pub the night before he died but he saw Mr Cunningham walking home.

He said Mr Cunningham looked drunk but was not staggering. He said the deceased seemed to be drinking more in the weeks before he died, appeared to be agitated and had more money than usual since June 2007.

Mr Donnellan said Mr Cunningham had bruising to the side of his face a couple of weeks before he died and when asked what had happened had said: “I have problems at home.”

He agreed with Brendan Grehan SC, defending that he had not mentioned that that remark was made by the deceased when he made his statement to gardaí.

Geraldine McDonagh told the jury that she was driving towards Ballinlough on the night of August 22, 2007 and saw the deceased walking close to his home at 11.53pm. She said he had his hands in his pockets, was swaying from side to side and was talking to himself.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Butler and a jury of eight men and four women.