A young woman told the Central Criminal Court yesterday how she held her dying boyfriend in her arms after he was kicked in the head and body during a fight outside a disco in Co Cavan.
Ms Elizabeth Mulvihill said that her boyfriend, Tony Kenny, died after being attacked by a red haired man outside Carrig Springs disco in March 1994.
She said the man had kicked her boyfriend as he lay on the ground. The kicks were "fast and very savage and the attacker had used both feet."
Ms Mulvihill was giving evidence on the first day of the trial of Mr Patrick Carry (18), of Headford Grove, Kells, Co Meath, a stable hand, who has denied the murder of Mr Kenny.
At the outset of the trial yesterday, Mr Carry pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Kenny (17), of Tromra Road, Granard, Co Longford, at Crosskeys, Co Cavan, on March 6th, 1994. He admitted manslaughter, but this plea was not accepted by the State.
Ms Mulvihill told Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, that she and Tony Kenny, his brother, Dermot, and other friends went to Carrig Springs disco on March 5th, 1994. She said Tony was not involved in any incident at the disco.
When the disco finished at about 2 a.m. she and Tony went outside and were sitting on a car bonnet when they saw two youths jostling and picking on Tony's brother, Dermot. Tony went over to them and a red haired youth hit him.
She saw Tony being hit twice with swinging punches. He was struck and pushed and he then fell, hitting his head off the kerb.
The red haired youth then kicked Tony about five times in the head and body. He aimed a sixth kick, but missed.
Cross examined by Mr John Rogers SC, defending, the witness said she was not sure if Tony was knocked out when he hit his head off the kerb. She said that the red haired man was in a rage and was kicking in a frantic way.
Earlier Mr Vaughan Buckley said that groups from Granard and Kells had travelled to the disco in separate buses. Afterwards, an incident occurred outside in which Tony Kenny sustained injuries which had caused his death.
Mr Vaughan Buckley read a statement which the defendant had made to gardai on April 7th, 1994. In the statement, Mr Carry said that he had been drinking with friends on the night of March 5th, 1994, before travelling by bus to the disco at Carrig Springs.
Later Mr Carry sat in the Kells bus with a girl. He got out of the bus to look for his friends. He saw one of his friends shouting at a person and grabbed him, but his friend was abusive.
In the statement, Mr Carry said some people present began to laugh at him and a fellow with long hair "began joking at me". He said he "felt annoyed" and struck the youth with his fists.
Mr Carry had told gardai that the youth with whom he was fighting slipped and rolled on his side near a bus. "I don't know what happened me", he said in the statement. "I just kept on kicking him. I was very upset. I kicked him four times roughly to the upper body, but I did not kick him in the head to my knowledge. If I did, it was accidental, and I did not mean to."
The trial continues today before Mr Justice Budd and a jury. Judge Brennan remanded him in custody to next week's court to consider whether to accept jurisdiction in the matter.