Gardaí received 999 call but went to wrong house, court told

The trial of a 30-year-old man accused of murdering a pensioner has heard an anonymous 999 caller said a man was tied up in a house but gardaí went to the wrong address.

Simon McGinley of Connaughton Road, Sligo, has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Eugene Gillespie (67) on September 22nd, 2012.

He pleaded guilty to the false imprisonment of Mr Gillespie and trespass to commit robbery at his home on Old Market Street, Sligo, on September 19th, 2012.

The Central Criminal Court heard the manslaughter plea was not accepted by the State and a jury was sworn in for the two-week trial.

Mr Gillepsie was found covered in blood and unconscious by his brother and nephew on September 21st and died in hospital the next day.

When found he was lying in the hallway of his home with his hands tied behind his back.

The court heard his neck was bruised and there was evidence of a ligature around it.

Mr Gillespie had swelling on his forehead, eyelids and the back of his neck. He had suffered a fracture to the base of his skull and a broken jawbone.

Blunt force trauma

The court heard the cause of death was bronchial pneumonia, due to the coma induced by blunt force trauma to his face, head and neck.

Sean Gillane, prosecuting, told the court the deceased was a retired telecoms broker who also worked in the family shop and lived alone with his dog.

Mr Gillespie was last seen early on the evening of September 19th. He had arranged to meet his partner Joan Linnane the next day, but did not turn up.

Mr Gillane told the court an anonymous 999 call was made to gardaí on September 20th.

Mr Gillane said the caller indicated there was a man tied up in a house near a brown gate opposite the barracks.

“The caller indicated to the guard there was a man tied up in a house near a brown gate opposite the barracks,” said Mr Gillane.

The court heard gardaí went out to a house but found nothing untoward there, as this was not the residence of Mr Gillespie.

The call, which Mr Gillane described as "terse", lasted 10 seconds or less.

Telephone call

Mr Gillane submitted the 999 call was made by the accused from a telephone belonging to one of his acquaintances.

The next day Mr Gillespie was found by his nephew and brother tied up in his house.

An ambulance was called and Mr Gillespie, who was still breathing but unresponsive, was taken to Sligo General Hospital where he died the next day.

The deceased’s nephew Paul Gillespie said that he and his father Brian, who has since died, entered the house with a spare key after they became worried about him.

Mr Gillespie said he found his uncle lying on the ground with his hands tied behind his back. He said he ran to the Garda station, which was nearby and phoned the ambulance.

He told the court he rang 999 and spoke to emergency services and the paramedics attended to his uncle at the scene.

Mr Gillespie said the kitchen was very badly ransacked “like something seriously went wrong in there”.

He said his uncle’s wallet has not been seen since.

The witness said he went upstairs and one of the bedrooms was also badly ransacked.

He said his father noticed that his uncle’s hands were tied and he cut his hands free.

He said his uncle would not have been overly security conscious and that the front door had a two-lock system on it.

The trial continues.