Tipperary murder-accused allegedly brought sofa down on head of mother's partner

John Ustic, an English national, was found dead at his rented terraced house at High Street in Skibbereen on September 24, 2017
Tipperary murder-accused allegedly brought sofa down on head of mother's partner

Andrew Nash, 43, with an address in Thurles, Co Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Jonathan (John) Ustic, 51, in Skibbereen in September 2017. Picture: Dan Linehan

A sofa was lifted and brought down repeatedly on the head of a 51-year-old man lying defenceless on the floor of a house in Skibbereen, it was alleged at the opening of a murder trial.

Andrew Nash, 43, with an address in Thurles, Co Tipperary, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murdering Jonathan (John) Ustic, 51, in Skibbereen in September 2017.

Prosecution senior counsel Seán Gillane gave the jury of seven men and five women an outline of the prosecution allegations in the case against the accused in the trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, presided over by Mr Justice Michael McGrath.

The late Mr Ustic was living at the house on High Street in Skibbereen with his long-term partner, Suzanne Fenton, who has since died. She was also the mother of the accused man, Andrew Nash.

The accused had been in the company of Thomas Fitchett and his partner, Nicola Colgan, on Saturday September 23, 2017, having been at a show in Cork Opera House, and Mr Nash stayed at their home in Ballinhassig that night.

On Sunday, the accused received a phone call from his mother and he asked Mr Fitchett and Ms Colgan to take him to Skibbereen and they arrived in the town at about 5pm and went to the house on High Street.

“Mr Ustic was upstairs. The accused went upstairs and struck him a number of blows causing him injury to his cheek. Both of them repaired downstairs and things settled down at that stage,” Mr Gillane said.

The parties in the house left sometime after that, looked at a camper van in the town that was of interest to them, got some food and drink and drove to Lough Hyne near Baltimore for a while. They returned to High Street at 7.40pm, the late Mr Ustic having consumed a lot of alcohol.

'Insensible’

“Mr Ustic was pulled violently out of the car, hitting his head off the ground in the carpark area, as a result of which he suffered an injury… [and was left] prone in the carpark on the ground. Passers-by were themselves concerned about his state,” Mr Gillane said, adding Mr Nash and Mr Fitchett carried him under the armpits to the house, his feet dragging on the ground at a time when Mr Ustic was ‘insensible’.

Mr Gillane outlined further details of what allegedly happened in the house after that.

“Mr Nash attacked Mr Ustic when he was on the ground. He stamped on his face, slicing his ear with a broken bottle. He was literally defenceless. He [the defendant] lifted a sofa he [Mr Ustic] was lying next to and he brought it down repeatedly on the head and chest area of Mr Ustic. Mr Fitchett will describe those events,” Mr Gillane said.

The defendant was seen in West Cork the following day but ultimately left Cork.

On the Monday morning after the alleged assaults on the Sunday evening, Susan Fenton shouted from an upstairs window raising the alarm and the emergency services arrived. Mr Ustic was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of death was described in the autopsy report as blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest, with acute intoxication being a contributory factor.

“Mr Nash was interviewed in relation to what transpired. He accepted he gave slaps but denied inflicting any injuries that caused his death,” Mr Gillane said.

x

More in this section

Lunchtime News

Newsletter

Keep up with stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap and important breaking news alerts.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited