Prosecution closes its case in murder trial of young man with Laois address

The prosecution has finished calling evidence in the retrial of a then-teenage boy who is accused of murdering a fisherman by stabbing him after the deceased had entered his home in the early hours of the morning.

On the final day of evidence in the trial of Dean Kerrie, who now the jury heard from Dr Stephen Clifford of Forensic Science Ireland who said he examined a number of items taken from the accused man's home.

He told prosecution counsel Michael Delaney SC that a swab from an area of blood staining on a knife that was found in the kitchen revealed a DNA profile matching the deceased man Jack Power. A swab from a second knife that gardai found on the hall floor of Mr Kerrie's home revealed an incomplete mix of DNA which was not suitable for interpretation, he said.

Mr Power's DNA was also found in blood staining from an area outside the house, on a hall wall inside the house, the hall floor and on a chair. Other blood stains in the hall matched the DNA profile of the accused's mother Ann Fitzgerald.

The Central Criminal Court jury has already heard from Sergeant Pat Kenny, who said that after he arrested Dean Kerrie at the scene, the accused replied: "Jack was in the hall and grabbed my mother. He started punching and swinging kicks. I grabbed a knife that was next to bed. Stabbed him with it."

Dr Clifford examined four areas of blood staining on a white scarf with black skulls that was taken from the scene. Two matched Mr Power's profile and the other two matched Ms Fitzgerald's. A pair of shorts found on the kitchen floor contained several blood stains. Dr Clifford found a profile matching Jack Powers from the outside front left of the shorts and matching the accused from the inside back right of the shorts.

Dean Kerrie (20) with an address at St Brigid's Square, Portarlington in Co Laois has pleaded not guilty to murdering 25-year-old Jack Power at Shanakiel, Dunmore East, Co Waterford on July 26, 2018. The accused was 17 years old at the time.

The jury has heard a 999 call made by Mr Kerrie at 3.44am on July 26, in which the teenager said that Mr Power had come "in the front door at him" and tried to hit him.

He said he had stabbed Mr Power in the chest with a kitchen knife but that he didn't mean to.

Eye witness Christopher Lee, however, has denied that his best friend, Mr Power, forcibly pushed in the front door of the Kerrie house that night and said these were "lies" Mr Kerrie had to make up "to get away with it". Mr Lee has told the trial that Mr Kerrie "deliberately killed" Mr Power.

In his opening speech, Mr Delaney said that the jury would likely have to consider the issue of self defence given the circumstances in which Mr Power entered the Kerrie house.

After the prosecution case closed defence barrister Ciaran O'Loughlin SC told the jury that the defence intends to call some "technical" witnesses.

Mr Justice Paul McDermott told the jury of six men and five women to return tomorrow on Friday for the next phase of the trial.