A Leaving Certificate student's decision to bring a kitchen knife with him for protection when trying to collect a £50 debt turned wrong when his friend was fatally stabbed, a court heard yesterday.
Anthony Casey - now 18 - asked his friend Peter Condon (17) to accompany him to collect the money from a third youth and brought the knife in case he had to scare off the youth, Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told.
But a fight started and the third youth - who can't be named for legal reasons - took the knife and Mr Condon was fatally stabbed at Hazelwood Avenue, Glanmire, on September 20th, 1998, said Insp. Tom Hayes.
Casey received two stab wounds including one to the chest which resulted in one of his lungs collapsing.
Yesterday Casey, from Spring mount, Glanmire, Cork, pleaded guilty to assaulting the third youth and causing him harm. He also pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
Insp. Hayes stressed there was no question of Casey injuring his friend, Peter Condon, with the knife in the row which happened after Casey made several unsuccessful attempts to recover money from the third youth.
"He found he had the knife in his hand, he can't recall clearly how it got there, but the third youth dispossessed Casey of the knife and used the knife. Casey received two wounds," he said.
The court heard Casey had never been in trouble with gardai before this incident. He had got a good Leaving Certificate and was working as an apprentice mechanic and was unlikely to re-offend, said Insp. Hayes. Mr Sean O Donnabhain, for Casey, said he had admitted his guilt and co-operated with gardai. Casey told the court he would never get involved in similar incidents again.
Judge A.G. Murphy sentenced Casey to three years in jail on each charge concurrently but suspended the sentence on condition he entered into a bond of £100 to keep the peace for five years and be of good behaviour.