A 27-YEAR-OLD man has gone on trial accused of playing a role in the manslaughter of a man who was beaten after being pulled from his car in a lay-by near Dublin airport two years ago.
Paul Gibbons, of Moatview Drive, Priorswood, has pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to unlawfully killing Valeri Ranert (27) at Naul Road, Swords, on April 30th, 2007.
He has also pleaded not guilty to unlawfully seizing by force a Volkswagen Golf belonging to Mr Ranert on the same occasion.
Michael Durack SC (with Karen O’Connor), prosecuting, told the jury in his opening remarks, that the case involved the concept of “joint enterprise” in which a number of people were “in it to do the same thing together”.
He said Mr Ranert had been in Ireland for a number of years working in a distribution depot in Blanchardstown.
Mr Durack said that it was the prosecution case that on the Sunday evening of April 30th, Mr Ranert had collected his girlfriend before midnight and they drove to an area on the Naul Road at the side of the airport runway.
He said they sat in the car chatting and “minding their own business”.
He said a second car pulled up close to them, driven by Mr Gibbons, and at least one person got out.
A person knocked on their car window and asked for a light. Mr Ranert, who did not smoke, told the person he did not have one and they went away.
He said a person then came to the other side of the car looking for a mobile phone and at least two people commenced to break the windows of Mr Ranert’s car and drag him out.
Mr Durack said Mr Ranert received a number of blows or kicks to the face and head as a result of which he later died. His girlfriend managed to escape into an area of long grass near the lay-by.
He told the jury Mr Ranert was officially pronounced dead at Beaumont Hospital some time later.
Mr Durack said it was not the prosecution case that Mr Gibbons had got out of the car or that he was involved in the assault but that this was a “joint enterprise.” He said there were at least two other people in the car.
He said the charge of manslaughter arose where there was not an intention to kill on the part of Mr Gibbons.
Mr Durack said the Volkswagen Golf was driven from the scene parallel with the car driven by Mr Gibbons. The two cars were later found burned out at another location The trial continues before Judge Tony Hunt and a jury of six men and six women.