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BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (24) who fatally stabbed sister's partner found guilty of manslaughter
A 24-year-old man who told gardaí he was "so drunk" that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi "I will kill you" when the deceased had tried to calm him down. Advertisement The State had submitted this was the "clearest statement of intent" that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12th 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was "all over" the case and that the consumption of three bottles of "firewater" had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. Melnic told gardaí in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that "all the evidence pointed" to him being "the only one responsible". Advertisement Mr Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. "People say things not meaning them," he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Mr Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. "It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down'". The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Mr Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was "badly beaten" and had reacted to that. Advertisement He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. "Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased". Curiously, the lawyer submitted that Melnic did not recall being hit over the head by the deceased with the leg of a chair and the only thing he could remember was Mr Daghi having his hands around his neck trying to strangle him. He said nine hours after the defendant's arrest, scrape marks or finger marks were found on Melnic's neck. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Advertisement The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following today's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane told the panel that jury service is one of the most important duties that an individual can be asked to perform as an Irish citizen. He said they had "very properly discharged" their civic duty at the cost of some disruption to their family lives and working lives. The judge said the graphic nature of the evidence which the jurors had to deal with during the trial had made their service "particularly challenging and difficult". He thanked them for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. Advertisement A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on November 3rd, and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on October 20th. On November 3rd, the Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives. The judge also directed a probation and a governor's report on the defendant. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Mr Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house, and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Mr Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down, but the defendant was "very drunk". The witness said he went between his friends to pull them apart when they started throwing punches at each other. Mr Beccieu said the defendant tried to hit him and was successful on the second occasion. He said Mr Daghi then got in between them and separated them. Mr Baccieu went to look for the defendant's car keys, because Melnic wasn't calming down after Mr Daghi told him to go home. When the witness came back, he said the defendant was "down" or on the ground with his hands on his head "trying to ward something off" and that Mr Daghi had a piece of a chair in his hand. A woman took Melnic into the house, and Mr Baccieu and Mr Daghi stayed outside smoking a cigarette. The witness said Mr Daghi looked in the window of the house and saw Melnic and his sister pulling at each other. He said Mr Daghi went into the kitchen to see what was happening and came out seconds later. The witness continued: "Mr Daghi said he cut and fell down in front of me." Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Mr Grehan that Melnic must have had "a colossal amount" of the whiskey, as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. 73 milligrams of ethanol was detected in the deceased's system, which is just over 2.5 pints. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. Having been arrested on suspicion of assault causing harm to Mr Daghi in the early hours of May 12th, Melnic was deemed unfit for interview and was not questioned until 15 hours later. Ireland Former sports figure (77) remanded in custody on 7... Read More He told interviewing officers at Naas Garda Station that he and the deceased had been drunk, and at some point an argument started. "A lot of drink was taken, my memory is very hazy," added the defendant. Melnic's sister, Angelina Spinu, had agreed that her evidence to a jury, where she had "painted a picture" of her own partner Mr Daghi "as the aggressor" in the altercation and holding a weapon, was "the complete opposite" to what was said in her garda statement. In her direct evidence at the Central Criminal Court, Ms Spinu denied to the prosecutor via a Romanian interpreter that she was trying to protect her brother. The jury had heard that Ms Spinu told gardaí in her statement that her "kid brother" said to her husband, "I will kill you" before he took a step forward and "pushed" a knife into his chest.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Man (24) who stabbed sister's partner with kitchen knife found guilty of manslaughter
A 24-year-old man who told gardaí he was 'so drunk' that he couldn't remember fatally stabbing his sister's partner once in the chest with a kitchen knife following a dispute has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury. The panel of eight men and four women unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Valeriu Melnic was guilty of murder, despite evidence he had told Ion Daghi 'I will kill you' when the deceased had tried to calm him down. The State had submitted this was the 'clearest statement of intent' that the jury were likely to encounter. Moldovan national Melnic, with an address at Calliaghstown Lower, Rathcoole, Co Dublin had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Daghi (39) at The Close, Sallins Park, Sallins in Co Kildare on May 12th, 2024. In seeking a verdict of manslaughter for his client, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, told the jurors in his closing address that the issue of intoxication was 'all over' the case and that the consumption of three bottles of 'firewater' had an effect on everyone that night. Counsel submitted that whiskey can have a remarkable transformation on people's moods and how they behave. READ MORE Melnic told gardaí in his interviews that he couldn't remember stabbing his sister's partner with the knife as he was so drunk but later said that 'all the evidence pointed' to him being 'the only one responsible'. Mr Grehan also argued in his closing speech that if everybody who said the words 'I will kill you' in a fight were guilty of murder, the State wouldn't be able to build prisons fast enough. 'People say things not meaning them,' he submitted. Whereas, Carl Hanahoe SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, submitted in his closing address that Mr Daghi had entered his kitchen when a struggle pursued between the defendant and his sister. 'It wasn't the entry of a bull or a bear, it was a man entering saying 'calm down, calm down'.' The defence had asked for a verdict of manslaughter on the basis of intoxication or the partial defence of provocation, which can reduce an intentional killing from murder to manslaughter. Mr Grehan said there wasn't any doubt but that a provocative act had occurred to his client, who he said was 'badly beaten' and had reacted to that. He said the defendant had picked up a knife in the heat of the moment, where passions did not have time to cool. 'Provocation is a reaction to something that causes you to boil over; and boil over he did and cause the death of the deceased'. The jury had the option of returning two verdicts in relation to the murder charge against Melnic, namely; guilty of murder or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter. The 12 jurors took six hours and 27 minutes over three days to reject the State's contention that the defences of provocation and intoxication were not open to Melnic. Following Monday's unanimous verdict, presiding judge Mr Justice David Keane thanked the jury for their service and exempted them from further jury duty for the next ten years. A sentence hearing for Melnic is expected to take place on November 3rd and the judge remanded the defendant in custody until that date. The case was listed for mention on October 20th. The Daghi family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact Ion's death has had on their lives during the sentencing hearing. The trial heard that on the evening in question, Melnic met up with a friend and proceeded to Mr Daghi's house, arriving at 8pm. There were a number of people present in the house and they had some food in the garden, drank a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to a pub where a second bottle of whiskey was purchased and consumed back at the house. The group then went to a nightclub where they bought a third bottle of whiskey. Some time around 3am, a dispute arose between Melnic and Mr Daghi. Witness Alexandru Beccieu (24) said both he and Mr Daghi were trying to calm Melnic down but the defendant was 'very drunk'. Under cross-examination, Mr Beccieu agreed with Mr Grehan that Melnic must have had 'a colossal amount' of the whiskey as the deceased didn't have a lot of alcohol in his system. A pathologist told the jury that Mr Daghi died from a single stab wound to the chest, which measured 13cm in depth, and death would have been very rapid. Referring to the law of intoxication in his charge, Mr Justice Keane had said it is not a complete defence to murder and is there if the defendant's mind was in such a state from the effects of alcohol that he had not intended to kill or cause serious injury. He told the jurors if they had a doubt about that, then the verdict should be not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (34) pleads guilty over links to importing explosives, guns and ammo
A 34-year-old man has pleaded guilty to facilitating a criminal organisation to import explosives, firearms and ammunition into the State. Mark McCourt, with an address at Edenerieve, Newry, Co Down, appeared before the Special Criminal Court on Monday where his defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC said he could be arraigned on six counts on the basis that they are sample counts. Advertisement McCourt pleaded guilty that between February 10, 2023 and July 19th, 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, did participate in or contribute to activity intending to facilitate the commission by the said criminal organisation or any of its members, of a serious offence, to wit the importation in the State of Firearms and Ammunition and Explosives. He further admitted to unlawfully having in his possession two .233 Remington Calibre barrels from AR-15 pattern semi-automatic rifles in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not possess it for a lawful purpose on July 19 2024 at John St, Blackstick, Ardee, Co Louth. McCourt also pleaded guilty on the same date at the same location to unlawfully having in his possession nine assorted 9mm luger calibre barrels, eight frames for Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistols, a frame for a Canik semi-automatic pistol and four slides for a Sig Sauer model P320 9mm Lugar Calibre semi-automatic pistol in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not possess it for a lawful purpose. Mr Grehan requested that a governor's report be sought in respect of his client and asked that a date for sentencing be fixed before the end of term. Advertisement Ms Justice Karen O'Connor directed that a governor's report be prepared and set a date of Monday July 28 for the sentence hearing.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man was delusional while allegedly falsely imprisoning woman and trying to murder her
A man was suffering from a delusional disorder when he is alleged to have falsely imprisoned a former work colleague in his car - where the door handles had been sealed with tape, thrown hot chilli in her eyes, and tried to murder her after becoming convinced she had deliberately given him an STI, a psychiatrist told his trial on Thursday. It was during the opening of the Central Criminal Court trial of attempted murder accused Jineesh John on Thursday that Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, said the consultant psychiatrists for both the State and defence are in agreement "of the core facts" that the defendant was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the offence. Advertisement Jineesh John (43), with an address at The Crescent Building, Park West, Dublin 12 has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of a woman at a location in West Dublin on May 21st, 2023. Mr John also pleaded not guilty to making a threat to kill or cause the woman serious harm without lawful excuse, intending her to believe that the said threat would be carried out on the same occasion. He further pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning the woman by intentionally or recklessly detaining her without her consent at the same time. In addition, the defendant pleaded not guilty to producing in a manner likely unlawfully to intimidate another person, an article capable of inflicting serious injury, to wit a hammer on the same date, while committing or appearing to be about to commit an offence of false imprisonment of the woman. Advertisement Fiona Murphy SC, defending, told the jury that the defence of not guilty by reason of insanity under the Criminal Law Insanity Act 2006 was being sought by the panel. Opening the prosecution's case today, Mr Grehan told the 12 jurors that the issue of insanity had been raised by the defence and the four charges related to a single incident which happened over a 30 minute period between 8:50pm and 9:30pm at an Industrial Estate on May 21st, 2023. Counsel told the jury that the woman in the case came to the public office at a garda station on the morning of May 22nd seeking to speak to officers. He said Detective Garda Tom Balfe interviewed the victim, where she set out how she was falsely imprisoned in the accused's car, that he had threatened to kill her and she believed she was going to be killed by him. Advertisement Mr Grehan said the jury would hear that Mr John and the woman had previously worked together in a health care setting but despite this they were not particularly known to each other. He said they had moved onto different jobs but contact had been re-established. Under the guise that the accused was giving presents to her and was helping her fill out a medical assistance form, Mr Grehan said the woman had agreed to meet Mr John and go with him in his car. Outlining the facts of the case, the lawyer said when the pair got to an industrial estate the accused told her to close her eyes as he had a present for her. He said the woman complied with that request but when she opened her eyes the accused threw hot chilli powder or flakes into her face attempting to blind her in the eyes. Advertisement The woman went to get out of the car but discovered the door handle and the switch activating the window had been duct taped over so it was not usable. Mr Grehan told the jury that the accused had threatened to kill the woman and said he was going to kill her. Mr John then threatened her with a hammer he had in the car whilst she pleaded with him not to kill her, he added. The court heard further evidence will be that the only way the accused agreed to let the woman go was if she was prepared to say on a mobile phone video-recording that she had given him a sexually transmitted disease in 2021. Counsel said the woman had no contact "in any way, shape or form" with Mr John but that the accused had developed "a preoccupation", which she was unaware of. He said the accused made a number of short videos in the car that day, which the jury would see. Advertisement The barrister further stated that the woman was prepared to say anything to be let go and Mr John dropped her back to her home. The woman and her husband later went to the garda station where she handed over her clothing and an investigation ensued. The prosecution barrister went on to tell the court that the woman's clothing was examined and there was a pepper like substance still adhering to parts of them. He said the jury would hear from two consultant psychiatrists on behalf of the defence and the prosecution, who will say the accused was suffering from a mental disorder namely a delusional disorder at the time, which qualifies him for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. Detective evidence Giving evidence on Thursday, Detective Garda Thomas Balfe told Mr Grehan that the woman was a health care assistant and worked for different agencies. He said the woman had met the accused, who was also a health care worker, at a care home facility in April or May 2021. The detective said the woman and the accused sometimes worked together in the same shift but she didn't know him well. The woman left the health care facility but the accused continued working there. In October 2022, the detective said the accused had contacted the woman by phone looking for advice about a hospital, after her friend gave the woman's number to Mr John. The woman wasn't sure who the accused was but knew he was a former colleague and gave him advice during a brief telephone call. The woman had offered to help the accused with the application process for the hospital and he rang her again a month later. Around Christmas 2022, the accused called the woman to say he wanted to drop off gifts to her children and he met her when she got off the bus, said Mr Grehan. The witness said the accused arranged to call to the woman's house regarding filling out a church form at 8.30pm on May 21st. The woman got into the car to fill out the form and didn't suspect anything. The accused then started to drive his car before pulling up on a footpath beside an industrial estate. The detective said when the car was pulled over the accused told the woman to close her eyes as he wanted to give her a surprise. When she opened her eyes the accused rubbed a handful of really hot chilli powder in her face, which stung her eyes and lips. The accused also had a hammer in one of his hands. The detective said when the woman tried to get out of the car she could see that everywhere was sealed with black sticky tape, including the door handle. The woman thought the accused was going to kill her and started preaching at him not to do so. The witness said the accused kept saying: "I'm going to kill you, say your last prayer". The accused told her he had never killed before but he was going to kill her. The accused told the woman that she had given him a sexually transmitted disease (STD) to which she told him that she had never slept with him. Mr John said he would only let her go on condition she said she gave him an STD. The accused proceeded to record on his mobile phone the woman saying she gave him an STD in 2021 despite never kissing or having sexual contact with him. He made another video of the woman saying she gave him a STD through kissing before dropping her home. The witness said gardai later found a black-handled knife inside the accused's driver's door as well as a hatchet, a lump hammer and containers containing a chilli like substance. Black duct tape and adhesive tapping were also seized from inside the passenger door as well as a Jerrycan containing flammable petrol. Forensic psychiatrist Ireland Commissioner wins court appeal over dismissal of g... Read More Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Stephen Monks, who was called on behalf of the defence, told Fiona Murphy SC that when he met with the accused in April and October 2024 the accused remained 90 per cent convinced he was deliberately infected with HIV by the victim in the case, despite medical evidence to the contrary. Dr Monks said the accused is suffering from delusionary disorder and depression, which are both mental illnesses. He said the accused's actions were directly driven by delusional thinking in response to the psychotic belief that he had been harmed by the victim. He said Mr John met the three criteria for a mental disorder under the Criminal Law Insanity Act 2006; namely that he did not know the nature and quality of his act, that he did not know what he was doing was wrong and that he was unable to refrain from committing the act. The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.
Irish Times
30-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Richard Satchwell trial: Gardaí ignored ‘red flags' in Tina Satchwell murder investigation
'Red flags' emerged soon after the disappearance of Tina Satchwell that were 'simply ignored' by gardaí, the murder trial of her husband Richard Satchwell heard. Concerns about the Garda investigation into Ms Satchwell's disappearance were raised in the closing stages of the murder trial of her 58-year-old husband . His defence barrister, Brendan Grehan SC, said in his closing speech to the trial that the case was full of 'what ifs' and 'a lot of failures' by gardaí and it was 'simply beyond me' why gardaí were not in the Satchwell home soon after Ms Satchwell went missing in 2017. He suspected it was also simply beyond those gardaí became involved at a later stage in the investigation, he said. READ MORE [ 'Tina had no way of getting away from him': The full story of the Richard Satchwell murder trial Opens in new window ] [ 'Tina was portrayed in a way that is not true to who she was': Tina Satchwell's family describe 'kind, loving and gentle soul' Opens in new window ] The defence lawyer's opinion appeared to be endorsed by forensic archaeologist Dr Niamh McCullagh, who was asked in 2021 – four years after Ms Satchwell's disappearance – to review the files in the case. The review was requested by Supt Annmarie Twomey, who was not involved in the investigation until she was asked to take charge of it in August 2021. She and Det David Kelleher, who was also assigned to the investigation in 2021, brought what Mr Grehan described as 'new energy' to it. He said matters had progressed, 'though extremely cautiously', and said he still wondered at the reason for its 'pedestrian' pace up to October 2023 when Ms Satchwell's remains were uncovered. Supt Twomey had said, while gardaí believed by February 2022 that Ms Satchwell was dead and had never left her home and, by August 2022, that Satchwell should be arrested, there were 56 other lines of inquiry that had to be exhausted first. There were about 60 reported sightings of Ms Satchwell in Ireland and abroad after her disappearance, the trial heard. Dr McCullagh told the jury of research into domestic homicides that showed they often involved a pattern – as happened in the Satchwell case – of a false narrative and a missing-person report. Her own research into cases of 'concealment homicide' in Ireland found that most female victims were found within a kilometre of their home. [ The full story of the Richard Satchwell murder trial Opens in new window ] Mr Grehan said such findings hardly came as news to gardaí or to many others. Gardaí 'hardly needed' to be told what happened when a wife went missing, he said, which was that a missing-person report is 'not taken at face value' and 'every police force in the world looks at the husband'. He expected most people would hope, if they ever went missing, for a 'greater level of inquisitiveness' from gardaí. Brendan Grehan, left, and solicitor Eddie Burke outside Central Criminal Court in Dublin. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Mr Grehan accepted that Satchwell was the author of – and biggest contributor to – the delay in finding his wife's remains but said there was 'more than enough blame for that delay to go around'. That influenced the manner in which some of the investigation was dealt with, he said. Dr McCullagh pointed to a 'red flag' at the Satchwell home during a search of the property by gardaí in June 2017: evidence of 'home renovations' and of a new red brick wall at the side of the stairs. There was no invasive search of the property at that point but gardaí seized a laptop and other items. An examination of that laptop showed another potential red flag: a YouTube video about the interaction of quicklime, which can disguise decomposition odours, with water was watched twice on March 24th, 2017. The trial heard the laptop was examined by gardaí in 2021 but it was unclear from the evidence whether there was an earlier examination of it. The jury did not hear a detailed explanation about why the June 2017 search of the property was not invasive. Supt Twomey said she did not know what the focus of the investigation was at that stage. It was still a missing-person investigation. She also noted laptops and other items were seized from the Youghal property. After her review of the files, Dr McCullagh recommended an invasive excavation of the house, to include the use of ground radar technology and a cadaver dog. Supt Twomey acted on that recommendation, and a specialist team, including gardaí, Dr McCullagh, a forensic anthropologist and a cadaver dog, entered the property on October 10th, 2023. The cadaver dog showed interest in the area under the stairs. Det Brian Barry and a builder noted different concrete in the area under the stairs and poor brick work in the red brick wall alongside the stairs. The concrete was then broken up and black plastic was observed in what turned out to be a grave site about a metre deep. A painstaking excavation was then undertaken by hand and, on the evening of October 11th, the skeletal remains of Tina Satchwell were found.
