Three Belfast men went on trial yesterday at the Crown Court accused of murdering a paedophile in a flat in the east of the city in August 1997.
The jury heard that Mr Desmond Christopher Moonan (53), who had convictions for child sex abuse, was beaten and strangled to death in the Newtownards Road flat he shared with one of the accused, Mr Darren Robert Stewart. Mr Stewart (28) initially claimed that two masked men had burst into the flat ordering him out, but later said he asked his co-accused Mr Martin Chappell (38) to help him get Mr Moonan out of his flat and he had brought along Mr Peter James Davis (28), who strangled him.
Mr Gordon Kerr QC, prosecuting, said it was the Crown case that Mr Chappell and Mr Davis, both with addresses in the Utility Street Men's Hostel, went to Mr Stewart's flat and together all three murdered Mr Moonan.
"The prosecution case is that, at the instigation of Stewart, the others came over to the flat and killed Mr Moonan," said Mr Kerr.
Lord Justice Campbell heard that Mr Moonan's blood-covered body was found in the flat on August 14th, 1997, by a passer-by who noticed the front door of the flat lying open. Mr Moonan had been punched and kicked and four of his ribs were fractured. A ligature, allegedly made from a piece of towelling, had then been wrapped twice around his neck and pulled tight. Mr Kerr said that Mr Moonan, who had been heavily intoxicated at the time, would have lost consciousness in seconds and died within minutes. He said that while police investigated the murder, Mr Stewart had gone to Donegall Pass RUC station claiming that the night before, two men had ordered him from the flat, telling him not to return and that "this man's dead".
Following his arrest, Mr Stewart is alleged to have told police that he had decided he wanted Mr Moonan to leave the flat, which the pair had started sharing about a fortnight earlier. Mr Kerr said Mr Stewart also told Mr Chappell about Mr Moonan's previous convictions and asked for help to get Mr Moonan to move out, but that Mr Chappell had shown up with Mr Davis. In the alleged statement, Mr Stewart said they assaulted, punched and kicked Mr Moonan before Mr Davis tore off the edging of a green towel and strangled him. When charged with the murder, Mr Stewart replied: "Not guilty, I didn't murder him, I couldn't murder anyone."
In his alleged police interview Mr Chappell said Mr Stewart had told him about Mr Moonan's convictions and that he had gone to the flat with a person he didn't want to name and that this man started attacking Mr Moonan. He also claimed it was Mr Stewart's idea to concoct the story about the two masked men. Mr Kerr also said that before his arrest, Mr Davis had boasted to others about killing a man. He'd been at a party and allegedly admitted that "he had already done one and was not afraid to do another".
Mr Kerr said that when arrested, Mr Davis denied involvement in the murder, and while he admitted being at the party, denied telling anyone about the killing. The trial of the three, who deny murder, is expected to last up to three weeks.