Man died from 'three deeply penetrating stab wounds', court hears

The State Pathologist has said a Dublin man, stabbed as he attempted to make his get away following a supermarket raid, died from three deeply penetrating stab wounds to the chest which pierced both his lungs and caused him to bleed out.

Prof Marie Cassidy was giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court on the fourth day of the trial of David Wilson (aged 22) of Marigold Avenue, Darndale who has pleaded not guilt to murdering Paul Howe (aged 22) of Glenshane Crescent, Tallaght on October 8, 2008.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr Wilson stabbed Mr Howe seven times, in the car park of Supervalu on the Howth Road, as he was trying to escape over a wall following a robbery.

Prof Cassidy said Mr Howe suffered a total of seven stab wounds, three to the chest area, one to the abdomen, three to the back and one to the back of his left thigh.

She said: "Of the seven stab wounds three penetrated deeply injuring the lungs and causing a considerable amount of blood loss, these injuries were unsurvivable, both lungs were stabbed and the major blood vessel to the lung sliced."

Mr Howe also suffered blunt force trauma which took the form of puncture wounds and tram-line injuries; typically caused by being hit by something long and narrow.

Prof Cassidy was shown the walking stick which the court had previously heard was used by the store security man, Deepak Daulat, to restrain Mr Howe following the robbery.

She was of the opinion such a stick could have caused the puncture wounds and tram-line bruising, however, none of these injuries were life threatening.

Given the different types of injuries on Mr Howe’s body she concluded it was probable he was attacked with two or more weapons; a knife and a long narrow object.

She said: "As two weapons were used it is likely there was more than one assailant."

In cross-examination, Prof Cassidy agreed with Mr Brendan Grehan SC, defending, that given the type of knife used in the attack not a lot of force would have been needed to cause the injuries suffered by the deceased.

Examining the stainless steel steak knife used in the killing she said: "It is an extremely sturdy very sharp knife; a knife like this would cut into tissue with fairly little effort."

When asked by Mr Grehan SC if it was possible one of the wounds could have been inflicted by the deceased himself, as was claimed by the accused, she said it was a possibility in relation to the stab wound to the right breast area.

The wound was unusual when compared to the others as it penetrated back into the body as opposed to side to side.

Earlier, Prof Anthony Colin Barry Cooper, told Mr Burns SC, prosecuting, he carried out a medical examination on the accused at Clontarf Garda Station the day after the killing.

He said: "The only injuries I discovered were to his right lower leg, there was a total of 9 lesions all superficial and they did not require suturing."

Mr Wilson told Prof Cooper the injuries were inflicted when he was dragging a man to the ground and the man sliced his leg with a knife.

When asked by Mr Burns SC, prosecuting, if the injuries were stab wounds Prof Cooper replied: "They weren’t stab wounds or the sort of wound you would get from a sharp blade but caused by something pointed, maybe the tip of the knife."

Prof Cooper concluded that he felt the injuries were consistent with the explanation given by Mr Wilson but he could not exclude other possibilities.

The trial resumes on Monday when the prosecution is expected to conclude its evidence.