Man stabbed and put in car pushed into canal thought he was ‘going to die’

A man stabbed 28 times before escaping from the boot of a car that was pushed into a canal near the Battle of the Boyne site has told a Central Criminal Court jury he thought he was going to die.

Paul Crosby (23) of Rathmullen Park in Drogheda has gone on trial for the attempted murder of Gerard Boyle (33) at Knockcommon, Beauparc, Slane, Co Meath on November 10th, 2016.

Mr Crosby is also charged with falsely imprisoning and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Boyle on the same occasion.

Arraigned before a jury on Thursday, Mr Crosby pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Opening the prosecution’s case, Patrick Gageby SC told the jury Mr Boyle lived in the suburbs of Drogheda and, sometime in March 2016, the windows of his home were broken.

Some seven months later, on the date in question, Mr Gageby said the accused arrived at Mr Boyle’s home, asking him to go for a “chat”. They got into a Ford car, in which there were two other people, before there was a change of car.

Mr Gageby said three people – Mr Boyle, Mr Crosby and another – got into a Volkswagen Passat. Mr Crosby was initially driving but then he asked Mr Boyle to take over.

Knife in neck

Giving evidence to Mr Gageby, for the prosecution, Mr Boyle said he had just got into third gear when he felt a tap on his arm. He thought it was Mr Crosby tapping him, but it was a knife “in my neck”.

He said the knife came to him about six times; to his shoulder, back of his neck and back of his head.

He said he “asked him to stop and said I’d pay him €10,000 if he stopped” and that he was “going to kill me”.

Mr Boyle said the car was stopped . He said blood was coming from his hands, head, chest, shoulder and back. He was “curled up in a ball”.

He said Paul Crosby pulled him off the ground and asked him to get into the boot .

Mr Boyle said he was told he would be brought to hospital . While in the boot, he said he couldn’t breathe and had to hold his chest to stop the blood from coming out. “I thought I was going to die,” he added.

At some stage, he felt the car tilting and then the sensation of floating.

He said he kicked the seat forward which opened a gap small enough to pop the clip and push the back seat forward.

He said he got out of the car and held on to the door. He said he could see where he was – “I was at the Battle of the Boyne” – and swam on to the bank.

The case continues.