A schoolgirl giving evidence in a Belfast murder trial today told a court how she saw a man being hit "really, really hard" in the chest before he slumped to his knees on the floor of a city centre McDonalds restaurant.
The 16-year-old told the Crown Court jury that Mr Anthony Hagans threw a "really, really hard backward punch" which connected with left side of David Finn's chest.
"He looked quite shocked and taken aback" before falling to his knees saying "the bastard stabbed me", she said. The court heard in February last year, 29-year-old Mr Hagans and Mr Finn started a fight in the McDonalds on the junction of Donegall Place and Castle Place after a verbal exchange.
Mr Finn (32) later died from a single stab wound to the heart. Prosecution QC Mr Patrick Lynch has told the jury it is the Crown's case that Mr Hagans struck the "final and fatal blow".
Mr Hagans, from the Divis area of west Belfast, denies the murder.
Under cross examination by defence lawyer Mr Philip Magee the teenager conceded that at no time did she see a knife in Mr Hagans hand as her attention was on his nephew. However, she stated "he must have taken something out, you just don't bleed for nothing."
Mr Magee told her "McDonalds went on serving their carry outs while the unfortunate Mr Finn was dying at the front of their shop" and suggested to her that it had been Hagans nephew who "ran towards them, raised his right arm and struck Mr Finn in the chest."
However the schoolgirl refuted this saying: "I'm sorry, that's not what happened."