A man accused of murdering his uncle on a farm in Kerry "walked in the shadow of his father" and is not responsible for striking the fatal blows which killed the 69-year-old bachelor, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, told a jury yesterday.
Mr Eugene Daly, Doneen, Kilcummin, Killarney, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his uncle, Mr Patrick (Paddy) Daly, at Doneen on January 18th, 1996.
Mr Grehan told the jury that it was "hollow" to expect them to be able to put themselves in the shoes of Mr Daly, who lived an impoverished and isolated life. "You could be forgiven for concluding that, for Mr Daly, the lines between reality and fiction are not entirely convincing." Mr Daly's father, Seán, was also charged with the murder of the bachelor, but he died three years ago. It is the defence case that Mr Daly was an accessory to the murder after it happened and was responsible for disposing of his body in a well.
The prosecution, led by Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC contend that, by his own admission, the accused is guilty of premeditating and participating in the murder of Mr Paddy Daly in concert with his father. "The evidence against the accused in this case - by his own statements and admissions - is overwhelming of his guilt and participation in the crime," Mr Buckley told the jury.