Lee Slattery Murder Trial: Limerick Man Shot Twice at Derelict House in 2010

Kurt Ryan, 33, has pleaded not guilty to the 2010 murder of 25-year-old Lee Slattery at a derelict Limerick estate. The trial opened at Cork's Central Criminal Court.

Limerick murder trial hears victim was shot twice and beaten at abandoned estate

A Cork jury has been told that Lee Slattery, 25, was shot twice in the trunk and sustained blunt force injuries at a derelict house in Limerick before his body was buried on the grounds, rte.ie reports.

Kurt Ryan, 33, of Moylish Crescent, Limerick, pleaded not guilty this morning to the murder of Mr Slattery at Delmege House Estate, Knocklisheen Road, Limerick, between 27 and 31 May 2010. The trial opened at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon.

In his opening statement to a jury of seven women and five men, senior counsel for the prosecution Michael O'Higgins said both men were involved in selling drugs at the time of the killing. Mr Slattery, a father-of-one from Monabraher Road, was described as "a bit of a character" and well liked locally. He lived just a "stone's throw" from Mr Ryan, who was 17 at the time and also from the Ballynanty/Moyross area.

Using CCTV footage and witness accounts, Mr O'Higgins outlined both men's movements from 27 May through to the early hours of 28 May. At 4.30pm on 27 May, Mr Slattery was seen speaking with a neighbour about drugs near Delmege House — a once-grand 19th-century estate built on 32 hectares and known locally as "The Dallies." The property had been abandoned for many years and is now surrounded by outhouses and overgrown vegetation. Mr O'Higgins described it as a "brooding place."

During that encounter, Mr Ryan came upon the scene and there was an interaction between the three individuals present. Mr Slattery's movements throughout the day centred largely on the Moyross and Ballynanty areas and included multiple interactions with Mr Ryan and others.

The last CCTV sighting of Mr Slattery, according to Mr O'Higgins, was at approximately 2.20am on 28 May, as he walked in the direction of Delmege House. He was shot twice at close range near the estate and died from a gunshot wound to the trunk that damaged his heart and lungs. Blunt force trauma injuries to his face, including fractures to his facial bones and skull, were inflicted after he had already been shot, the court heard.

Concern among Mr Slattery's family grew when he failed to return home on Friday 28 May. Mr O'Higgins told the court that Mr Ryan called to the Slattery family home over that weekend, stating that the deceased owed him €80 for cannabis and that he was worried Mr Slattery had been avoiding him.

On 31 May, Mr Slattery's family searched the grounds of Delmege House themselves. They discovered a patch of freshly dug ground and, upon closer inspection, a blue tracksuit similar to one belonging to Mr Slattery. The family then contacted gardaí, who sealed the site.

During the subsequent investigation, gardaí recovered a pistol — later established as the weapon used to kill Mr Slattery — concealed within a sock inside one of the estate's outhouses.

Mr Ryan was interviewed by gardaí following the discovery of the body and denied any involvement in the murder.

The trial is expected to last up to four weeks.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)