A man who denies the murder of his second cousin confessed to hitting him on the head with a slash hook, a jury heard yesterday.
In the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, the deputy State pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, said the man died from an injury to his skull.
She said the first blow struck to the head of Mr Danny "Nay" Harty (25), who died in hospital four days after a fracas in Limerick city last year, meant that the "skull was driven in and broken up into small pieces".
This blow was followed by two others "in rapid succession", one of which also caused a skull fracture. A fourth straight wound was at the back of the head.
All of the head wounds were caused by a heavy object with a long cutting edge "in the manner of" a slash hook she was shown after the killing. She agreed the first wound was the penetrating one which caused death.
Mr Patrick "Dannaco" Harty (18), of Ballysimon Road, Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Danny "Nay" Harty, of Barrack Lane, Mungret, Co Limerick. He died on April 2nd, 1998, four days after a fight on Thomas Street in the city on March 29th, 1998.
The jury heard that Mr Patrick "Dannaco's" brother, Thomas, who was jointly arrested for the killing, was shot dead in Portarlington, Co Laois, this year. It heard that a man charged with the Thomas Harty murder is Mr Patrick "Nay" Harty, Mr Danny "Nay" Harty's brother.
Det Sgt Seamus Nolan, of Henry Street Garda station, Limerick, told Mr Patrick Gageby SC, prosecuting, that during an interview in the station on April 6th, 1998, Mr Patrick "Dannaco" Harty said: "I came down here to give myself up."
He told gardai that on the night in question, he and his brother came upon the row in Thomas Street as they went to a chip shop. He had two slash hooks in his car used to cut briars but when he came upon the row and saw it involved his father and the "Nay" Hartys, he took one out and ran up towards Danny "Nay" Harty.
"I lifted the slasher and swung at him and hit him twice. I don't know where I hit him. Jesus Christ, I never meant to kill the man, like."
Later, he said: "But what can you do if someone threatens your family; you have to protect them."
Garda Jim Carroll told Mr Brendan Grogan SC, defending, that the feud involving the row was between two branches of the Harty Travelling families, the "Nay" Hartys and the "Dannaco" Hartys.
The court heard that when Mr Patrick "Dannaco" Harty spoke to gardai with his mother in Henry Street station, he told them: "I want to pay for what I've done. I want it to be over. I don't want any more hurt."
In a signed statement he said he went with his brother Thomas to check on horses at Annacotty, outside Limerick, earlier on March 29th, and he took two slash hooks in his car "in case . . . we needed to do a bit of fencing".
The statement later said he jumped from his car and removed a slash hook because he knew his father was in trouble. "I don't know if it was me that killed Danny Harty but I hit him with the slasher. Jesus Christ, I never meant to kill Danny Harty."
In addition to the murder charge, Mr Patrick "Dannaco" Harty, who was 16 at the time of the killing, also denies two counts of producing a slash hook during the fracas and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Danny Harty.
The trial continues.