A 24-YEAR-OLD father was fatally wounded in a stabbing attack while trying to flee from two men in a Cork suburb over a year ago, the prosecution alleged yesterday, as two men went on trial for murder.
Jason Quinlan (29), originally from Ringmahon Close but with an address at Loughmahon Drive, Mahon, Cork, and John Brett (25), Leitrim Street, Cork, both deny the murder of plasterer Brian McKee at Ballinure Avenue in Mahon on August 25th, 2007.
At the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, prosecution counsel Mary Ellen Ring SC outlined the State's case against both accused to the jury of 10 men and two women before Mr Justice Paul Carney.
Ms Ring said Mr McKee had been in a long-term relationship with a woman, Ciara Delaney, with whom he had a child, but the relationship had ended and they were separated for about six months when Mr McKee rang Ms Delaney just after midnight on August 25th, 2007.
Ms Delaney was at a beach party at Myrtleville and they had a row over the phone about the minding of their child, said Ms Ring. The row resumed at 4.20am when Ms Delaney went to a house at St Michael's Lawn, Mahon, where Mr McKee had gone with a friend.
The row became so heated that the owner of the house, Ray Keating, asked them to leave and it continued on a green outside where Ms Delaney was joined by another group including her sister Rebecca, Rebecca's boyfriend Jason Quinlan and John Brett.
The jury would hear that Jason Quinlan became involved in the row and threw a punch at Mr McKee, but it failed to connect.
Mr Quinlan then took a bottle from Ciara Delaney, smashed it against the ground and, armed with the broken bottle, came at Mr McKee.
Ms Ring said the State would say that Mr McKee backed away and ran back to Mr Keating's house where it appeared that he armed himself with a knife, and that Mr Quinlan and Mr Brett were seen talking to each other before going to the home of David Hughes at Inchera Park.
They returned to the green area where, the State would say, Jason Quinlan was seen carrying a knife and a broken bottle and threatening Mr McKee's friend Pat Bradley.
The State would present evidence that the two accused chased after Mr McKee when he emerged from Mr Keating's house and ran along Ballinure Road. He then fell and, the State would allege, Mr Quinlan was seen stabbing down on Mr McKee.
Ms Ring said the State would produce witnesses who would say that they saw both Mr Quinlan and Mr Brett attacking Mr McKee before he managed to break free and run a short distance to a nearby shop, where he collapsed.
Mr McKee was found on the ground in a pool of blood by Garda Michael Kiely at about 4.45am and rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He died there from his injuries at 2.24pm.
The jury will hear evidence from Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis that he found Mr McKee had suffered 11 stab wounds, most of which were not very deep. One, which was over five inches deep, penetrated Mr McKee's chest, said Ms Ring.
The case continues today.