Gardaí in Martin Brophy case provided with film clip, court hears

The jury in the trial of a Waterford man charged with the 2012 murder of Martin Brophy has heard that gardaí were provided with a clip from the film American History X, in which one man tells another to bite the kerb before applying bodily force to the head.

The court had previously heard how the alleged fatal assault on Martin Brophy had been described on social media as similar to the scene in the film.

William Moran (20) of Connolly Place, Waterford City, is charged with murdering Martin Brophy (22) at the former Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) building between May 19th and May 21st, 2012.

Mr Moran has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is currently on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Taking to the stand, Det Garda Kevin Nolan confirmed with Michael Delaney SC, prosecuting, that he was provided with a disc in the weeks following May 2012.

“The title of the disc was American History X, which is an American crime drama that tells a story of two brothers who become involved in the neo-Nazi movement.

“The clip depicts one of the brothers, who overpowers an intruder, forcing him to the ground facing downwards. He forces him to place his open mouth onto the kerb outside - when he has his open mouth against the kerb he orders him to bite the kerb and applies bodily force to the head of the intruder, leading to the death of the intruder.”

The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy.