Dumbrell trial hears murder victim died of massive blood loss

The State Pathologist has told the trial of brothers Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell, that the man they're accused of murdering died from a stab wound that severed major blood vessels in his leg causing massive blood loss.

Professor Marie Cassidy said the knife had penetrated Christopher Cawley's left thigh to a depth of 18cm, creating a wound that would have been very painful.

He was stabbed a total of six times, including a 12cm deep wound to the back that penetrated his kidney and liver causing him to haemorrhage.

Mr Cawley (aged 33), a father of six, was also stabbed in the upper back, hip and right thigh. Professor Cassidy told the jury his injuries were consistent with a struggle on the ground, and the possibility that two knives were used could not be excluded.

The Professor also told the court that Mr Cawley had traces of a heroin-type drug and methadone in his system, which would have slowed down his movements and affected his reactions.

Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell, aged 36 and 30, and both of Emmet Place in Inchicore have denied murdering Christopher Cawley on October 29, 2006.

He was attacked in front of his wife and a number of his children on the stairwell of the flat complex where he lived at Tyrone Place in Inchicore.

Mr Cawley's wife, Janette Cawley, has given evidence to the court of seeing the two Dumbrell brothers chase her husband into the flats on the evening in question.

She said Warren had a knife and Jeffrey had a hurley. When her husband fell on the stairs, they got on top of him and began beating him while she pleaded with them to stop.

When they had finished and her husband lay dying on the stairs, Mrs Cawley said one of the brothers looked up and pointed a knife up at her, before they walked away.

A fifteen-year-old witness who was with Mr Cawley's daughter at the time of the attack, said one of the men looked at her friend who was collapsed on the ground and said “your daddy's gone now”.

The court heard there had been history between Mr Cawley and another of the Dumbrell brothers. The two had bumped into each other on the afternoon of the killing, and Mr Dumbrell had told Mr Cawley to meet him on waste-ground near the flats at eight o'clock.

Mr Cawley was at the waste-ground that evening, but was with two of his daughters and their cousin. His daughter, Máiread Cawley, has told the court they were all chatting and having a laugh when the two Dumbrells approached.

Her father said something in an effort to prevent a fight, but they kept walking so he turned and ran.

During her cross-examination by Warren Dumbrell's defence lawyer, Mr Michael O'Higgins SC, Ms Cawley denied that she and her mother had pressurised their cousin, Joseph Byrne, to tell Gardaí he recognised one of the men as Warren Dumbrell.

The court heard Mr Byrne subsequently changed this statement to say he didn't recognise the men, telling Gardaí Janette and Máiread Cawley had told him to identify the Dumbrells.

“I suggest you were understandably angry and extremely distressed and you invented details against Warren Dumbrell, and you and your mother influenced other people to do the same thing,” Mr O'Higgins said.

“No one pressurised him to do anything,” Ms Cawley replied.

The case resumes on Monday before the jury of ten men and two women.