A DUBLIN man accused of murder gave gardaí directions to where he said the body of a missing person had been dumped, his Central Criminal Court trial has heard.
Wayne Kinsella (40), with an address at The Plaza, Tyrrelstown, Dublin, but who is originally from Finglas, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Adel Essalhi (31) in fields behind The Plaza on January 6th, 2011.
In his opening address to the jury, Alex Owens SC, for the State, said it was the prosecution case Mr Kinsella and a relative “got it into their heads” that Mr Essalhi was involved in the death of Mr Kinsella’s brother Lee, and this was the motivation for his murder.
Garda Alan O’Toole told Mr Owens he had a conversation with Mr Kinsella in the back of a patrol car near Parnell Square on January 12th, 2011.
After he asked Mr Kinsella whether he had information on missing person Jason O’Dea, Garda O’Toole said the accused told him “he knew the story about Jason O’Dea” and that he could direct them to where the body was dumped in a field in Tyrrelstown.
He said Mr Kinsella told him he knew this because he had been asked to help dispose of the body but could not due to injuries to his hands, whereupon he removed his gloves and showed Garda O’Toole and his colleague Garda Sheila Sheehan scarring and what he said were damaged tendons.
Garda O’Toole told Mr Owens that Mr Kinsella was calm at first, but then became erratic. He said Mr Kinsella drew him a map indicating where the body was.
Garda O’Toole said Mr Kinsella sought assurances the two gardaí would keep his identity safe, as if anyone found out he had given information to gardaí he would get a “bullet in the head”.
Garda O’Toole said he had not been aware at the time that Mr Essalhi was missing.
Mr Owens said it was the prosecution’s case that during the night of January 6th, Mr Kinsella and a relative, who were drinking with Mr Essalhi, got him to leave an apartment they were in on the pretext of going to a party, luring him off over fields. The prosecution case was that Mr Essalhi was attacked with a knife and a machete and “done to death” by the other men. Mr Owens said the jury would hear evidence the two men later returned and attempted to set fire to the body.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of seven women and five men.