A JEALOUS man stabbed to death a county council worker and then stabbed his former partner because he believed they were having an affair, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Mr Gregory Murphy SC, prosecuting, said all the evidence would show that Mr John Lammon set out "in a planned way" and stabbed Mr Michael Doogue and Mr Lammon's former partner and mother of his two children, Ms Angela Kelly, in Athy, Co Kildare, on May 24th last year.
This was "a fairly cold and premeditated attack," he said.
Ms Kelly would tell the court she saw Mr Lammon's "mad eyes on the night in question, Mr Murphy said.
She would say that Mr Lammon said to her: "I'm going to f. . . ing kill you, you whore.
He said Mr Lammon appeared to believe Ms Kelly was having an affair with Mr Doogue but Ms Kelly would deny there was any such affair.
Counsel said Mr Doogue sustained 11 wounds, including three stab wounds in the face, one of those in the mouth, and the fatal wound in the armpit. He said Ms Kelly sustained serious wounds and lost one kidney.
Mr Murphy said Mr Lammon told gardai he was "very sorry for what had happened".
Mr Lammon said: "I am not that type of violent person. I would put it down to that I was very jealous of Michael Doogue."
Mr Lammon told gardai the attack occurred some time after he saw Ms Kelly fondling the deceased on two occasions in a car, the court heard.
He had gone round to Ms Kelly's home and called her a "dirty bitch" on a number of occasions after that, Mr Lammon told gardai.
His statement was read to the court by Mr Murphy at the opening of the trial of Mr Lammon (58), Dooley's Terrace, Athy, who has denied the murder of Mr Doogue (57), single, Castlemitchell, Athy.
Mr Lammon has also denied unlawfully and maliciously, wounding Ms Kelly (52), a mother of five children, Greenhills Estate, Athy.
In court yesterday, Mr Murphy said the prosecution was contending that Mr Lammon inflicted 11 wounds on Mr Doogue, including nine stab wounds and two possible defensive injuries, and also stabbed Ms Kelly in the back.
He said Mr Doogue and Ms Kelly were stabbed at about 12.25 a.m. on May 24th, 1995, at Greenhills housing estate in Athy. Mr Doogue died at 1.10 a.m. in an ambulance on his way to hospital, while Ms Kelly received serious stab wounds, lost one kidney and sustained other injuries.
He said Mr Doogue had formed a friendship with Ms Kelly and that had blossomed in the 12 months before his death.
He said Ms Kelly had been married in England but unhappy differences arose and she moved back to Athy in 1977. She became involved in a relationship with Mr Lammon and they had two daughters, Donna (18) and Rachael (14).
The relationship petered out and Ms Kelly took up with Mr Doogue. Mr Murphy said the evidence would be there was no relationship between Ms Kelly and Mr Doogue, but the defendant thought otherwise.
On the night of May 23rd/24th, Mr Lammon had armed himself with a boning knife and went, the prosecution would say, "coldly and deliberately to take vengeance" for reasons of jealousy. He came across Ms Kelly and Mr Doogue in a car outside her home.
Earlier that evening Ms Kelly had been in a pub with two other women, and Mr Doogue gave all three a lift home, counsel said. At Greenhills the two other women got out of the car, leaving Ms Kelly and Mr Doogue inside.
Mr Murphy said Mr Lammon then came along and a row ensued. The prosecution was contending that Mr Lammon first stabbed Mr Doogue in the face three times. The fatal wound was inflicted to the left subclavial vein at the armpit.
Counsel said a knife was found on a grass verge near the scene, and the prosecution would say this was the knife used to inflict the wounds on Mr Doogue and Ms Kelly.
Blood was found on the knife, which was similar to that of Mr Doogue's and of 14 per cent of the population.
He said that after Mr Doogue was attacked Ms Kelly ran to a wall and turned her back so shed would not be stabbed in the chest. Mr Murphy said Mr Lammon stabbed Ms Kelly in the back and she ran to a neighbour's house and blacked out at the door.
He said Mr Doogue tried to intervene and stop Mr Lammon attacking Ms Kelly, but to no avail.
Counsel said a woman had asked Mr Doogue what happened to him and he said: "That Johnny Lammon lad." That was Mr Doogue's dying declaration, Mr Murphy said.
Mr Murphy said Mr Lammon was arrested some hours later and initially denied any involvement in the incident, but later made a statement in which he made certain admissions.
There was evidence that Mr Lammon drank "a fair bit" but some witnesses would say that on the night in question he had "no beer in him" and "not much drink taken," counsel said.
The trial continues today before Mrs Justice McGuinness and a jury.