A YOUNG Dublin man died from blood loss and an accumulation of blood in the chest and heart due to a single stab wound which penetrated his heart, the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
The State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, said there was a punctuated abrasion on the left side of Mr D Hammond's chest consistent with an attempted wound which did not penetrate.
There were other minor injuries on Mr Hammond's body including deep bruising to the right side of the head which could be due to kicking with a soft shoe or punching, a scratch on the left side of the neck and a graze on the left side of his back.
Dr Harbison was giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial of Mr Alan Rooney (28), of Curran Park, Balbriggan, who has denied the murder of Mr Hammond (24), also of Curran Park, at Pump Lane in the town on April 27th, 1996.
In court yesterday, Dr Harbison said his post mortem showed Mr Hammond's alcohol level was twice the limit for driving and this could have affected his ability to take evasive action and could have led to aggressive behaviour.
Dr Harbison said that prior to carrying out the post mortem, he was shown a three inch kitchen knife which gardai regarded as a suspect weapon.
The tip was not all that sharp and, under cross examination, he agreed with defence counsel, Mr Anthony Sammon SC, that he regarded the knife as barely adequate to inflict the fatal injury.
Dr Harbison said gardai had shown him two other knives last week, one with a five inch blade and another which had a smaller blade than the first knife shown to him.
In a statement read to the court Mr Paul Kelly said he had found a knife in the side garden of his, house and did not pay much attention to it until he heard about the stabbing of Mr Hammond.
Ms Anne Gildea said she had intervened to prevent a fight between Mr Hammond and another man, Mr Mark O'Reilly, in Balbriggan on the night of April 26th-27th 1996. She had gone for a walk with Mr O'Reilly and was with him for about an hour and a half before leaving him at 1.10 a.m. on April 27th.
Mr Eugene Callaghan, said he had a conversation with Mr Rooney after 9 a.m. on April 27th. He had mentioned the stabbing of Mr Hammond and Mr Rooney had said he had had an argument with Mr Hammond.
Mr Rooney had said that Mr Hammond was with two other men when he left him.
Discussion of legal issues began later yesterday afternoon and the jury was sent away. The trial will resume before Mr Justice Carney today.