Murder trial hears victim died quickly after car hit him

The jury in the Claire Nolan murder trial has heard that the man she admits killing died after a car struck him, breaking his spine, crushing part of his heart and tearing one of his lungs free.

Giving evidence on day three of the trial, the State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy said Michael Duffy would have died quickly after he sustained a major crush injury to the chest which caused “massive internal trauma”.

She said the most logical explanation for his injuries was that he was struck by a vehicle while standing in an upright position, and then fell to the ground where his chest was crushed between a car bumper and wall.

She said his spine had broken, severing his spinal cord, part of his heart was crushed, his lungs had been punctured by fractured ribs and one of his lungs had been torn free from its holding tissues.

Ms Nolan (aged 23), of Sheephill Green in Blanchardstown has denied murdering Mr Duffy in the driveway of his son's house in Well View Grove, Blanchardstown in January 2008.

She has admitted to the 66 year old's manslaughter, but the prosecution has refused to accept her plea and is arguing that she murdered Mr Duffy by driving her car at him and crushing him to death.

The Central Criminal Court has already heard that the accused was “in a rage” on the night in question because the deceased's son, Francis Duffy (aged 42), was seen trying to break into her new Nissan Micra.

She had spent the day taking cocaine and sleeping tablets and had also drank some wine and was described as being “off her head” by an eye-witness.

A row broke out between the accused, her friends and Mr Duffy Jnr, who rang his father, Michael Duffy.

Mr Duffy Snr had been spending the day with friends in Cavan, but drove to his son's house.

Shortly after he arrived on the scene, the accused's car was seen driving through the gates of Fran Duffy's house.

Mr Duffy was struck by the car and pronounced dead a short time later in James Connolly Memorial Hospital.

Dr Cassidy described how Mr Duffy's injuries were “not survivable” and said it was possible he had sustained the full force of the car.

She said he would have been rendered unconscious almost immediately, and would have died very swiftly.

Mr Duffy's relatives became upset as she described his extensive internal injuries. The accused kept her hear bowed throughout the evidence.

The court heard that in addition to his spine breaking, several of Mr Duffy's ribs had been fractured, puncturing the lungs and causing them to almost fill with blood. His breast-bone was broken and part of his liver was crushed.

There was a crush injury to part of the heart, as well as tears to the heart wall while its main vessel, the aorta, had also been torn free.

Dr Cassidy said the deceased would have lost a significant amount of blood.

Under cross-examination by counsel for the defence Mr Brendan Grehan SC, Dr Cassidy said she could not make a comment on the speed that the car was travelling at the time, but she said Mr Duffy's injuries were likely to have been caused by the weight and not the speed of the car in any case.

The court also heard evidence from forensic expert Detective Garda John Reynolds who examined tyre marks at the scene.

He agreed with Mr Grehan that there was “nothing to suggest a car accelerating towards the house or a place between the front window and door of the house”.

He said he did find marks to suggest a car reversing at acceleration away from the house.

The court also heard that specks of red paint found on the deceased's jumper matched the paint on Ms Nolan's Nissan Micra.

The trial continues in the morning before Mr Justice Barry White.