Murder trial hears second day of evidence

A 26-year-old Dublin man died of catastrophic injuries to a number of his organs due to multiple gunshot wounds, a murder trial has heard.

Paul Kelly of O’Brien Hall in Dublin’s inner city died after being shot nine times with a hand gun and twice with a shot gun in a Clontarf apartment building.

Michael Taylor (aged 30) of Summerhill in Dublin city has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Kelly on April 6 2007 at Winston Ville apartments on Charlemont Road in Clontarf.

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis told the Central Criminal Court today that an x-ray of Mr Taylor’s body showed multiple shotgun pellets in his head along with bullets in his trunk.

He said he later carried out a post-mortem examination on the body and found a shotgun wound on his face extending from above his right eyebrow to his chin.

The second shotgun wound covered the back of his neck and shoulder. Both contained multiple pellet strikes, he said, adding that similar pellet strikes to his right hand could have been associated with either of the shotgun wounds.

He said there were also a number of pellet strikes in his abdomen, ribcage and groin and that he found lead pellets embedded in his left thigh and shin.

Dr Curtis said he found 11 bullet wounds, including one in the right of his abdomen, two in his back and one in his right arm.

He explained that one bullet had entered the right side of his face and exited his left temple and that a single bullet had caused three wounds, entering the back of his right thigh, exiting the groin and re-entering nearby.

He said a wound to his upper abdomen was bigger than the others and he believed it to be a double entry wound, caused by two bullets.

In all, he said, he recovered eight bullets from the body, along with a number of shotgun pellets.

The pathologist said that bones in the victim’s skull were shattered and that the under-surface of his brain and his brain stem were lacerated. His lower jaw was also shattered and several of his teeth were detached and broken.

He said his left jugular was lacerated from gunshot wounds, his lung was wounded and the sack around the heart was lacerated.

“The heart muscle was extensively lacerated,” he continued. “One of the main coronary arteries had been cut across by a bullet.”

He added that part of the liver was also extensively lacerated.

Dr Curtis said that the catastrophic injuries to his brain, jugular, lung and liver were incompatible with life and gave his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.

Detective Garda Aidan Dardis from the Garda ballistics section said he recovered a number of shotgun pellets and wadding from the scene.

He also found 12 discharged cartridge cases from a 9mm weapon. This type of ammunition would have come from either a semi-automatic pistol or a submachine gun, he said.

The trial continues tomorrow morning before Mr Justice Barry White and a jury of nine men and three women.