Jury set to continue deliberations in Jahiri murder case

The jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering his former partner, the mother of their two children, will resume its deliberations on Wednesday.

Vesel Jahiri (35), originally from Kosovo but of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Anna Finnegan (25) at Allendale Glen, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 on September 21st , 2012.

He has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Karl Finnegan, causing him harm, at the same place on the same date.

The jury has now spent four hours and 41 minutes considering its verdict and will resume its deliberations on Wednesday.

The foreman of the jury told Mr Justice Paul Coffey that they would like to resume their deliberations at 10am.

The judge reminded the jury not to discuss the case with anyone.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Justice Paul Coffey told the jury that he wanted to rehearse the various verdicts open to them concerning the charge of murder.

The judge said if they accepted that it was reasonably possible that Karl Finnegan had a knife and he used it to stab and kill Anna Finnegan, they must return a verdict of not guilty of murder.

Mr Justice Coffey said if the jury accepted the accused’s narrative of events could be true that Karl Finnegan came at him with two knives and, in the course of this altercation, Mr Jahiri picked up a knife and used it with justifiable force and accidentally stabbed Anna Finnegan, that would require the jury to return a verdict of not guilty of murder.

He said if the jury accepted that only one knife was used and it was accidentally used to stab Anna Finnegan they should return a verdict of not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

The judge concluded by saying to the jury that if they accepted that the act of stabbing Anna Finnegan was deliberate then the proper verdict to return is guilty of murder.

‘Somebody help us’

Before the jury were sent to lunch, the foreman of the jury asked the judge for a transcript of Joan Broe’s call to emergency services. The judge said it was not an exhibit in the case.

Ms Broe gave evidence in the trial and said she was walking her dog in the Allendale Glen estate at 8.30pm on September 21st when she heard Anna Finnegan standing in the doorway of her house screaming: “Help us, somebody help us.” Ms Broe said she saw Mr Jahiri chase his former partner, bring her to the ground and punch her to her right hand side.

The court heard that Ms Broe helped Karl Finnegan when he started to feel faint and rang the emergency services.

The jury has spent two hours and 49 minutes considering its verdict.

Opening the prosecution case to a jury seven weeks ago, Patrick Marrinan SC said Mr Jahiri and Anna Finnegan were in a relationship for about 10 years and had two children together.

However, their relationship “turned sour” prior to September 2012 and they ended up separating.

It is alleged that Mr Jahiri stabbed Ms Finnegan to death after he “battered” down her front door and attacked her and her brother.