A Galway man accused of murder told gardai that an evil monster takes control of him when he drinks whiskey and it was the monster who killed the deceased, not him, a jury in the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Mr Patrick Joseph (P.J.) McGreene (29), with addresses at Corrib Park and St Mary's Road, Galway, denies the murder of his uncle, Mr Tom Clisham (53), between November 24th and December 4th, 1997, at Inveran, Co Galway.
Det Sgt Patrick Lynam, based at Mill Street Garda Station, told the court that on December 8th, 1997 Mr McGreene said that when he drinks whiskey an evil monster "takes over".
"I don't remember what I do when I have whiskey," he said, according to a memorandum. "I don't do these things. I am not a monster. He's the monster. When I drink whiskey he takes over. The monster is gone now until I drink whiskey."
Det Sgt Lynam told the court that the accused was invited to make a written statement, but declined. He said Mr McGreene gave answers in response to questions put by himself and another garda in Salthill Garda Station, which formed a memo, unsigned by the accused, which was read out in court.
In the memo, the accused denied that he had sex with the deceased, and would "give blood" to prove it.
Mr Michael Durack SC, prosecuting, read out the memo:
"About five years ago the monster took control of me again. I woke up the next morning with blood all over me.
"Frank, I call him. He does the talking when he takes over. He's always there but I can control him when I don't drink whiskey. Frank is an evil c . . t when he controls me. I'm scared of Frank when I smoke grass.
"It was Frank that killed uncle Tom, not P.J. Since I was about 10 years old, he looks after me. When I'm on drugs, not whiskey."
Mr John Rogers SC, defending, asked the detective sergeant:
"It was put to him he had sex with his uncle, isn't that so?"
"The interview was not conducted in that manner," Det Sgt Lynam said. "He was not pressed about it," he added later.
The court has heard that the deceased was found dead in his home wearing only socks, with his hands bound loosely. Domestic pets or rodents had eaten away his flesh and there was evidence of bleeding into the mastoid and a vertical fracture of the airpipe.
The trial continues today.