WHEN a man accused of murdering a 59 years-old Sligo man in his apartment was arrested, he shouted at his sister: “Don’t say anything, they are trying to stitch us up”, the Central Criminal Court was told yesterday, Thursday.
30-year-old Keith Brady of Cartron Estate, Sligo has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Martin ‘Matt’ Kivlehan at New Apartments, Holborn St, Sligo on August 2/3 2015. The plea was not accepted and he is on trial before a jury of seven women and five men.
Sergeant Pat Harney of Sligo Garda Station told prosecuting counsel Dara Foynes BL that he was aware that Mr Brady and his sister Janice Brady were in the garda station on August 3, 2015 – Mr Brady had earlier been arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Act by Detective Garda Conor Jordan who told the court that he knew Mr Brady was a heroin addict.
Sgt Harney said the decision was taken to arrest Mr Brady on suspicion of Mr Kivlehan’s murder. He said the accused was “extremely aggitated and aggressive” and shouted to his sister: “Don’t say anything, they are trying to stitch us up.”
He agreed with defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC that Mr Brady was not aggressive towards any person, but just towards “inanimate objects”.
The jury spent the previous afternoon (Wednesday) watching CCTV footage showing the movements of the accused man and his sister Janice Brady around Sligo Town from 7pm on Sunday August 2 through the early hours of August 3 and finally at 1pm that Bank Holiday Monday, by which time Mr Kivlehan’s body had been discovered.
Garda Martin Kelly told Ms Dara Foynes BL for the prosecution that the footage showed Mr Brady and his sister at St Joseph’s Church in Ballytivnan at 7pm on the Sunday evening and at a pharmacy and various locations around the town.
On the Monday morning after when the prosecution says Mr Kivlehan was stabbed to death, they were seen at Sligo Train Station, walking along Lord Edward St and various other streets and twice entering a shop called “Pick and Choose”.
Earlier, Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis gave evidence that the deceased was found at his home, lying on his back with his right hand across his chest and a knife under the hand. The blade of the knife, described as a serrated steak-knife with a 12cm blade, was pointing at his throat. Another knife, described as a plastic-handled knife with a 20cm blade, was found on a counter near the body. Of the two, Dr Curtis said that the second was more likely to be the one that inflicted the wounds. He said the stab wounds showed no evidence that a steak-knife with a serrated edge had been used although he couldn’t rule it out.
DNA sampling of the knives by Dr Yvonne O’Dowd at the State Forensic Laboratories showed blood matching the deceased on both knives.
Detective Garda Shane Curran from the Garda Technical Bureau said he found blood spatter on a radiator behind an armchair which was close to where Mr Kivlehan’s body was found.
The trial is continuing in front of Justice Paul McDermott.
