Murder trial hears of victim's injuries

A RETIRED barman died from bruising to the brain together with intracranial bleeding following a fracture at the base of his skull, a pathologist yesterday told the trial of a 25-year-old man accused of the barman’s murder.

Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Declan Gilsenan said that the compression type head injuries suffered by Donal Manley (62) were consistent with somebody standing on his head as he lay on the ground and compressing his head against the floor.

Dr Gilsenan was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Paul Murphy, Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, Cork, who denies the murder of Mr Manley at his home at High Street in Cork city between October 10th and October 12th, 2008.

Mr Murphy also denies a charge of assault causing serious harm to Mr Manley and to stealing a number of items including a red jacket, a baseball cap, an umbrella, a gold watch, a flat screen TV and a Chorus Blackbox belonging to Mr Manley, all on the same occasion.

Dr Gilsenan told the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork how he found Mr Manley’s body lying in a foetal position behind a couch in a downstairs living area of the house in High Street when he was brought there by gardaí on October 13th, 2008.

There was a pool of blood on the carpet under Mr Manley’s head and there was a lot of blood around his head and neck and he noted that he had been bleeding from the nose, mouth and left ear, Dr Gilsenan told the jury of nine women and three men.

The case continues today before Mr Justice Paul Carney.