Accused views CCTV footage of fatal stabbing in Galway murder trial

A Polish man on trial for murdering a young Co Galway shop assistant in 2009, told Gardaí he was so drunk on the night he had no recollection of any incident or of having stabbed anyone.

The Central Criminal Court heard that when Alexsander Nadowdny was shown CCTV footage of the encounter between himself and Kieran Cunningham, he broke down saying “this is horrible, I don't want to see this...I don't believe it. I can't remember any of this.”

Nadowdny (aged 28), formerly of Renmore Park in Galway city, has denied murdering Mr Cunningham in June 2009.

The 20-year-old supermarket worker from Claregalway died after sustaining three stab wounds, through the chest, stomach and a 13cm deep knife wound that went right through his heart.

After first fleeing Galway, but then handing himself in to Gardaí in Dublin, Nadowdny said he had taken steroids and drank straight vodka, before going out with his friend, Jolanta Zlotnik on June 2, 2009.

Nadowdny said he was so drunk he fell on the dancefloor of Karma nightclub. After the club, he said he “collapsed” outside on the street, but became aware of a person trying to push Ms Zlotnik.

“I could see someone trying to push her, something nasty...I did not feel threatened but I was concerned about Jolanta,” he told Gardaí.

But he said Ms Zlotnik told him there was no need to get up as everything was ok. The next thing he remembered he said, was her waking him up and pulling him by the hand down the street.

The defence maintains that Ms Zlotnik was being harassed by Mr Cunningham, and became annoyed and upset when he continued to direct insults of a sexual nature towards her.

Ms Zlotnik, who was the main prosecution witness in the case, denied during her two-day cross-examination that this had been the case, telling the court he had merely said “f**k off”.

Nadowdny's defence lawyer, Mr John Shortt SC, put it to her that she told Nadowdny she had a knife, and said he should “do something” about Mr Cunningham.

Mr Shortt suggested that Nadowdny then took the knife from her bag, crossed the road to Mr Cunningham, and the encounter between them occurred.

He suggested she pulled Nadowdny away from the scene and after they went back to her house, took the knife from him, which has never been recovered by Gardaí.

Ms Zlotnik repeatedly denied these suggestions and maintained she did not have a knife and had nothing to do with the incident.

Nadowdny also told Gardaí Ms Zlotnik was not involved. “She is so good, it's all my fault. I did not do anything.”

He repeatedly denied he had a knife with him, but as the interviews progressed admitted he could not remember whether or not he had one.

At one stage however, referring to Ms Zlotnik, he said: “Yes of course I showed her the knife, yes of course if someone killed someone it is obvious they would hide the evidence, but she said I was boasting about it.”

But despite the fact that he was shown the CCTV footage a number of times, Nadowdny continued to say he had no recollection of the night.

“It must have happened, you have the evidence...I don't remember,” he said.

When Gardaí put it to him that the footage clearly showed him inflicting the stab wounds, he replied: “I have seen it, I'm not denying what you say, but I don't believe it because I know myself.”

The trial resumes on Monday morning next.