Friend of murder accused (17) says he brought knife used in killing

A friend of a teenager accused of murdering an 18-year-old in a Dublin park has said that he brought the knife that was used in the fatal assault.

The witness, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, told prosecution counsel James Dwyer SC the accused took the knife off him minutes before the melee because “he didn’t want us to get into trouble”.

He said the accused, who is also a minor, did not know about the knife until he saw the witness with it in the park.

The 17-year-old accused has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to the murder of Azzam Raguragui (18) at Finsbury Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14 on May 10th, 2019.

His plea was not accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions and he is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

On Monday, the jury also heard from a friend of the deceased who denied that he threw the first punch that caused the melee.

The witness told defence counsel Michael Bowman SC the fight started when a friend of the accused punched Azzam Raguragui in the head.

He further accepted that he, the witness, had suffered broken bones in his hand from punching a member of the other group of teens. He also agreed that he trains in mixed martial arts.

When asked about an alleged incident more than one month after the fatal incident in Dundrum in which Mr Bowman said a friend of the accused was knocked unconscious, the witness refused to answer saying that he didn’t want to incriminate himself.

The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of six men and six women.