The ambulance that took Brian Murphy to hospital after he had been violently beaten outside the Burlington Hotel was slow to take him away because the crew thought he was intoxicated with drink, a witness has told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The jury also heard another witness relate how Mr Murphy told her he expected to be beaten up by "some boys from Terenure College" that night.
Mr Andrew Frame (22), from Nutley Lane, Donnybrook; Mr Séan Mackey (23), from South Park, Foxrock; Mr Desmond Ryan (22), from Cunningham Road, Dalkey; all Co Dublin, and Mr Dermot Laide (22), from Rossvale, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, have denied the manslaughter of Mr Murphy (18), at Sussex Road, on August 31st, 2000.
The four former Blackrock College students have also denied committing violent disorder by using or threatening to use unlawful violence on the same date.
Mr Barry Cassidy, a former Blackrock College student and a friend of the four accused, told the court yesterday that he saw the aftermath of the incident that led to Mr Murphy's death.
Mr Cassidy, who had also befriended Mr Murphy at Bruce College, said that at first he saw two people holding on to each others' shirts and "mouthing off to each other".
He thought one of the men was Mr Andrew Frame, one of the accused.
As he walked closer to the group he realised that these two people were separated from a larger group and he saw Brian Murphy lying on the ground. Mr Cassidy said he wasn't moving and there were about 15 people standing around him.
He told Mr Edward Comyn SC, prosecuting, that he went over and began to tap his face and open his eyelids but there was no reaction. There was blood coming out of his mouth.
Mr Cassidy said he sat him up, put him over his shoulder and carried him across the road. He propped him up against the wall and rubbed blood off his mouth and tried to open his eyes, but again there was no reaction. He said that another of the accused, Mr Desmond Ryan, was close by at this stage. He told Mr Cassidy that "the lad had got a fierce beating".
Mr Cassidy said one of Mr Murphy's friends, Mr Morgan Crean, rang the ambulance. Mr Murphy was then carried back across the road to the front gate of the hotel and placed on his side on a grass verge. Mr Cassidy said Mr Ryan helped to carry Mr Murphy back across the road.
He couldn't remember the ambulance arriving but he could remember it being there. He thought the ambulance men just seemed to be waiting around and Mr Murphy's friends were urging them to take him away.
Mr Cassidy said they seemed to be slow to take him away because they thought he was "out of it on drink". Other people began to shout at them and eventually Mr Murphy was put in the ambulance and taken to St Vincent's Hospital.
Mr Cassidy said he then met Mr Desmond Ryan and they went to a casino in town with two other friends, Mr David Cox and Mr Darragh Crowley. They stayed until about 7 a.m but while there they heard on the radio that someone had died after a fight outside the Burlington Hotel.
He went outside and phoned the hospital to inquire how Mr Murphy was but the nurse was saying nothing. He believed the person they had heard about on the radio was Mr Murphy.
Ms Louise Geraghty told the court she saw a group of people outside the front gate kicking someone in the head, but she couldn't see who was involved.
She told Mr John Edwards SC, for Mr Laide, and Mr Anthony Sammon SC, for Mr Mackey, that she knew Brian Murphy very well and had spoken to him inside Club Anabel earlier. He told her he expected to be beaten up that night by "some boys from Terenure College".
She said two weeks prior to his death she met him outside the Palace Disco on Camden Street and he told her he had been thrown out because he "loafed" someone from Terenure College.
She said he was in a row with one of them over his ex-girlfriend, Laura Murphy. He said he was expecting them to come out that night and beat him up but she just told him to go home. Laura Murphy then came out to speak to him and Ms Geraghty left the pair.
The trial continues.