Tattoo artist found guilty of chef's murder through sword attack in car park

Irish Times

04-06-2025

A tattoo artist has been found guilty of the murder of a young chef he attacked with a sword causing partial amputation of his left leg, massive blood loss and his subsequent death in hospital has been found guilty of murder.
Jurors at the
Central Criminal Court
in
Cork
took just over four hours to unanimously convict Dylan Scannell of the murder of 33-year-old father of two Ian Baitson. The victim's loved ones hugged each other and wept when the verdict was returned.
Over a week-long trial, the jury heard Scannell (31) struck Mr Baitson from behind the left knee with a sword at the Eurospar car park on Newtown Road in Cobh, Co Cork on the evening of March 15th, 2024.
The medical evidence was that the sword cut through muscle, artery and bone. Mr Baitson was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, but he died four days later.
READ MORE
Mr Scannell will receive a mandatory life sentence.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon thanked the jury members for their diligent service in a 'difficult' case.
The trial heard Scannell had sent Mr Baitson a text threatening to chop off his fingers because of a drug debt he at one point claimed amounted to €2,500.
Mr Baitson responded by insisting he only owed him a couple of hundred euro. The accused had admitted the manslaughter of Mr Baitson but denied murder.
Ian Baitson died from injuries sustained when he was attacked with a sword in a car park in Cobh, Co Cork, in March 2024. Photograph: Family handout/ PA Wire
On the night of the attack, Mr Baitson had €185 he planned to give to Scannell. However, the evidence was that he never got the chance to hand over the money.
Instead Scannell attacked him with a sword.
Mr Baitson had told his mother Helen Goggin he was going to the shop and would be 10 minuts.
She heard sirens 20 minutes later and was informed that he had been attacked.
Ms Goggin wept during the trial as she said 'they had to turn off the machine' at the hospital four days later.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the trial a postmortem indicated Mr Baitson died of a haemorrhage and shock complicated by brain damage due to the lack of blood supply from an injury caused by sharp force.
A single blow from a sharp weapon like a samurai sword caused a fracture to the knee bone and sliced through the two bones below the knee.
Scannell, of O'Rahilly Street in Cobh, Co Cork, opted to evidence at the trial. He said he was 'sorry' for what occurred. He said he had supplied Mr Baitson with drugs and loaned him money for a debt he owed to a third party.
He insisted Mr Baitson was his friend and said he would give anything to turn back the clock.
Scannell said he was having trouble and owed money to another person at the time. He admitted he was a drug addict 'paranoid' when he went to meet Mr Baitson in the car park.
He insisted he brought the sword to the car park for 'protection' and never intended to harm Mr Baitson.
'I just wanted to scare him. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I didn't think that by hitting him in the leg I would cause him any damage. I want to say I'm sorry. I would do anything to take it back.'
Following the attack, Scannell drove to an area near the harbour in Cobh and threw the sword into the water.
The trial heard Mr Baitson was a fit and healthy man who ran road races. He had given up alcohol six months before his death.
Mourners at his funeral on March 27th, 2024 were told he was a 'lovable rogue.' Fr Tom McDermott said Mr Baitson was the 'happiest he had ever been' in the period before he died having just participated in a charity run.
His family expressed gratitude to all who assisted Mr Baitson when he was attacked in the car park.
His brother Richard said bystanders, paramedics and hospital staff gave them four more precious days with him before his death.