Emergency services turned away from building where dead man was discovered

A Wexford murder trial has heard that the emergency services were turned away from an Enniscorthy building the night before a 37-year-old man was found dead there.

The Central Criminal Court was hearing evidence today in the trial of a 36-year-old man, charged with murdering his friend more than two years ago.

Michael Furlong of Meadowfield, The Moyne, Enniscorthy has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Patrick Connors between April 28 and April 29, 2011 at Carraig Túr apartments in the town.

Garda Brian Phillips testified that he and Garda Antoinette Byrne were sent to the apartments around 11.40pm that April 28th. He said they’d received a report of a man covered in blood needing medical attention, and that the caller, Michael Furlong, would meet them.

He said there was nobody outside when they arrived and there were no buzzers for the apartments at the front door. However they eventually gained entry and went upstairs to the apartment.

He said they got no response after knocking on the door a number of times. He said he shouted that it was the gardai and asked for the door to be opened.

“I heard voices coming from inside,” he said.

He testified that he told them he would have to force the door if they didn’t open it. He said that nobody answered and he pushed the door open.

“I heard a loud bang to the right and it startled me enough that I took out my baton and entered,” he recalled, explaining that he believed the kitchen door had been slammed.

He said that when he attempted to open this door, he found it locked.

“I informed the people inside (the kitchen) I was a guard and asked could they open the door,” he said.

He told them they’d received a call and asked what the problem was, he added.

“The first person to identify himself identified himself as Michael Furlong. He sounded intoxicated.

He kept saying he didn’t know what the problem was,” recalled Gda Phillips.

“The other person identified himself as Paddy Connors and said he was fine and told us politely to go away, that he didn’t want us there,” he continued.

The garda said he told this man that an ambulance was on the way but the man said he didn’t want medical treatment and wouldn’t open the door to the ambulance crew.

He said they spent another 15 minutes trying to persuade the men to open the door.

“The man I believe to be Michael Furlong kept saying: ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He won’t tell me’,” he recalled, adding that this man said the door was locked and he didn’t know where the key was.

He said that when he offered to force the door in, the man he believed to be Mr Connors piped up:

“No. I’m grand. Will yous just go away,” he asked.

He said there was nothing to suggest foul play in the rest of the apartment and they left, remaining outside the apartment door for about five minutes to see if anything changed.

“We could just hear quiet conversation back and forth,” he said.

The garda said they went downstairs, where they told the ambulance crew that the alleged injured party didn’t want medical treatment. Both the gardai and the paramedics eventually left, he said.

A shopkeeper from the Centra across the road testified that Michael Furlong came into the shop after 8am the following morning.

“He said: ‘Paddy’s dead. There’s blood everywhere’,” testified Mary Murphy.

She said she asked him if he had done anything about it and he replied that his phone was broken. She then called for help.