Man accused of impeding investigation into murder of Kenneth O’Brien

A man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of impeding the investigation into the murder of Kenneth O’Brien by disposing of a chainsaw that was seen to have “red dots and pieces of flesh” on it.

The prosecution have alleged that the accused (33), who endured a “life of hardship” under his father, dumped parts of the chainsaw in different locations, knowing at the time that his father had taken a life.

Paul Wells Jnr, with an address at Beatty Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare, has pleaded not guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of his father, Paul Wells Snr (51), by disposing of a chainsaw motor at a time unknown between January 19th and 20th, 2016 in Co Kildare.

He has also pleaded not guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Wells Snr, by disposing of a chainsaw blade and chain on January 20th, 2016 in Co Kildare.

Prosecuting counsel Michael Bowman SC asked the jury to be “cold, clinical and detached” in their assessment of the evidence as they will hear that Mr Wells Jnr had endured a “life of hardship” from his father.

Mr Bowman said the jury will hear about the sort of individual Wells Snr was and how he was far from the “role model” that anyone would aspire to be as a father.

Dismembered

Wells Snr (51) was jailed for life last year having been found guilty of murdering Mr O’Brien (33) at his home in Finglas, Dublin on January 15th or 16th, 2016. He admitted that, after shooting Mr O’Brien in his back garden, he had dismembered his body and dumped it in a suitcase in the Grand Canal.

Mr Bowman said one would want “a heart of stone” not to be untouched by the circumstances in the Wells’ house and asked them not to act upon sympathy or emotion.

Mr Bowman said Mr O’Brien died from a close-range shot to the head, which was fired from a handgun. Following this, his body was dismembered with a Stihl chainsaw and disposed of at different locations.

The chainsaw was delivered into the possession of Mr Wells Jnr on January 20th, 2016, he said, and dumped in different locations at the Curragh and Grand Canal.

The accused did this knowing or believing that his father had taken the life of an individual, said Mr Bowman, adding that the facts which the jury will receive during the case fit into the definition of assisting an offender.

He said that Mr O’Brien was a hardworking and diligent man, who provided for his partner and young child. Mr O’Brien had a shed at Ardclogh, Co Kildare, which he shared with another individual who had special knowledge of diesel machinery.

This individual introduced Mr O’Brien to Wells Snr, he said. When this business came to an end, Mr O’Brien went to Australia in 2013 and secured very good employment. However, he made a commitment to his partner that he would come home for good and he returned on December 17th, 2015.

Transferred

Between May 7th, 2013 and January 13th, 2016, Mr O’Brien transferred more than €47,000 to Wells Snr, said Mr Bowman. A further €5,000 was deposited in early 2016, he added.

There was a clear understanding on the part of Mr O’Brien that he understood that he was investing in an opportunity, which would set him and his family up financially, he said.

Certain steps were taken by Mr O’Brien to receive this money and that was the motivation behind Mr O’Brien and Wells Snr coming together on January 15th, 2016, the barrister said.

There will be evidence, Mr Bowman said, that Mr O’Brien’s partner understood he was going to work on January 15th when he kissed her and their son goodbye. However, Mr O’Brien was not going to work that day and there was an exchange of texts between Mr O’Brien and his partner that morning, The last text attributed to Mr O’Brien was at 1.53pm that day.

His partner got a communication on the night of January 15th from a phone number she did not recognise. “It indicated that Mr O’Brien, as represented on the text, had lost his phone and was staying in a hotel,” said the barrister. At 7.49am the next morning, there was another communication from the same number indicating that Mr O’Brien was leaving Ireland, he said.

The court will also hear, the barrister said, that Wells Snr lived with his wife and youngest son at Barnamore Park in Finglas. When Mr O’Brien went to Wells Snr’s house on January 15th, he met his death, he continued.

Mr Wells Jnr was the eldest of five children and resided with his partner and young daughter in Celbridge, Mr Bowman said. On the evening of January 16th, Wells Snr made arrangements to meet the accused in a carpark but their relationship was strained at this stage, he said.

A stag party had been arranged for Mr Wells Jnr and everyone was to travel to Latvia on January 22nd, he outlined, adding this was the reason why they had met in the carpark.

Uncomfortable

They went on a journey in the car but Mr Wells Jnr felt uncomfortable in the circumstances in which his father presented himself, said Mr Bowman.

At one point, Wells Snr got out of the car and the accused man heard splashes and a bag being taken from the back of the car and dumped. When they returned home, Mr Wells Jnr observed the “unusual” way his father was acting.

The following day, Wells Snr gave a bag to one of his other sons and asked him to give it to Paul Wells Jnr.

“In that bag was a chainsaw. The machine was open and the defendant said in his garda interviews that he had observed red dots and pieces of flesh,” said Mr Bowman, adding this this was later disposed of in two different locations.

Counsel told the jury that the family later went to the stag party in Latvia and they will hear about the behaviour of the accused and his father. When they returned, Mr Wells Jnr was distressed at what he had previously seen and challenged his father as to what had happened. He then became aware that Mr O’Brien had met his death by a gunshot at close range, said the lawyer.

Parts of Mr O’Brien’s dismembered body were later found dumped in a suitcase in the Royal Grand Canal. The motor-frame of the chainsaw was retrieved on January 22nd, said Mr Bowman.

In relation to the evidence against the accused, the lawyer said he indicated his position voluntarily to gardaí on February 5th and identified where he had disposed of two pieces of the chainsaw.

Mr Bowman also indicated to the jury that a large portion of the case will focus on Mr Wells Jnr’s engagement with gardaí from February 5th to February 9th, 2016.

The barrister said the prosecution case is that the accused man took possession of the chainsaw in circumstances where he knew or believed that the chainsaw had been produced to him as a result of a significant event perpetrated by his father.

“He may say he acted in haste and regretted what he did but he knew what he did at the time,” concluded Mr Bowman.

The trial resumes tomorrow on Tuesday and is expected to last up to three weeks.