Murder accused admitted to killing, detective tells jury

A detective has told the jury in a Tipperary murder trial that the accused admitted the killing to him in a squad car, with the words "I did it".

Detective Garda Larry Bergin told the Central Criminal Court that John Paul Buck (aged 29) of Heywood Close, Clonmel asked to meet him and made the confession in the early hours of Monday August 7, 2006.

Mr Buck has pleaded not guilty to stabbing 30-year-old Fergus Roche to death at a house in Heywood Close on October 1, 2005. He also denied setting fire to the vacant house.

Det Gda Bergin said he was on duty in Clonmel about 3am on August 7, 2006, when he got a call to say Mr Buck wanted to meet him.

He said he drove to a bridge, where Mr Buck opened the passenger door of the unmarked patrol car and jumped in. He said Mr Buck asked him to switch off his phone and showed him that his was off.

Det Gda Bergin said he turned off his phone and was told to ‘drive on’ and where to make turns, always avoiding the town centre.

“He was agitated, uneasy and dishevelled looking,” he said. “He asked me twice ‘What’s the story?’ I said ‘You tell me what the story is’.”

He said he then asked Mr Buck why he was so agitated.

“You know why. You know why. I did it. I did it,” he claimed Mr Buck answered.

“He said he had stabbed Fergus Roche in the chest because he grassed him up,” he testified.

The detective said he then tried to caution Mr Buck, but he interrupted him.

“You know and I know what you say and I say is no good unless it’s on tape,” the accused said, according to the witness.

Det Gda Bergin said that when he asked the defendant why he was telling him this, he replied that he was sorry for what he had done and that it p***ed him off every day. The detective said he tried to caution him again, but Mr Buck repeated the same assumption about the tape.

Det Gda Bergin said Mr Buck mentioned that the deceased was his best friend before appearring to calm down and asking the detective to bring him home. He said he drove him to the entrance of his estate and returned to the garda station to make notes. He notified his superiors of what happened later that day.

Michael Delaney SC, defending, suggested D Gda Bergin’s evidence was a fabrication. He claimed his client had contacted him that night to ask him to relieve some of the pressure on him, his family and his girlfriend.

The detective denied this. He also denied that his failure to mention his attempted caution in any statement until last month was because no attempt had been made as none was needed.

He agreed that in ideal circumstances it would be a good idea to get a person to sign a note of what was said. He said he had found himself in unusual circumstances that night.

He said he didn’t subsequently approach Mr Buck for a signed statement as such an approach could have been interpreted as interference.

“I thought it was dangerous ground to tread on and could have blown the whole thing out of the water. I wasn’t prepared to take that chance,” he concluded.

The trial will continue Monday before Mr Justice George Bermingham and a jury of six men and six women.