Murder trial opens in Cork: three accused of fatal golf club attack on father of five

Three males face murder charges over the death of Barry Daly (44) in Doneraile, Co Cork, last October. Prosecution argues joint enterprise in golf club assault.

Three accused of murdering Cork postman in joint enterprise attack, jury told

Three young males allegedly armed with golf clubs acted as a team when they fatally attacked a father of five outside his home in a north Cork village last October, the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork heard on Thursday, the Irish Times reports.

Alex Deady (21), of Glenview, Convent Road, Doneraile, and two juveniles who cannot be named pleaded not guilty to the murder of Barry Daly (44) at Rockview Terrace, Doneraile, on 12 October. Deady and the older of the two teenagers additionally entered a plea of manslaughter. Daly, a native of Mallow, lived at Rockview Terrace and worked as a postman with An Post in Mallow.

Opening the prosecution case, counsel Lorcan Staines SC told the jury of five men and seven women that the State would argue all three accused shared a common design when they allegedly attacked Daly outside his home.

Night of the GAA celebration

Staines told the jury that on the night of 11 October, Doneraile GAA had won a Junior B hurling championship, drawing large numbers of people onto the streets to celebrate. A row broke out between Deady and another person outside a pub. Daly stepped in to intervene and, either accidentally or intentionally, struck Deady's girlfriend, Rachel Kelly.

Staines told the jury that whether the punch was accidental or deliberate was immaterial to the prosecution's case — what mattered was that it angered Deady. The two teenagers were elsewhere at the time but came to Main Street to join him, the court was told.

Daly and a companion then left to go home. Staines said many people on the street attempted to calm Deady down, and that one person — described as a "Good Samaritan" — intervened and took a golf club from him after he had acquired it. Despite this, Deady and the two teenagers each obtained a golf club and set off in the direction of Daly's home.

Second confrontation on the way

En route, the three encountered another bystander who told them to "cop themselves on" but, in doing so, used a slur. Deady — who had left the scene of the original fracas on Main Street without a shirt — and the two teenagers were angered by the remark. The older teenager headbutted this second bystander before the group continued toward Daly's home.

The attack on Daly itself was not captured on CCTV, Staines told the jury. "But it is a matter of fact that Barry Daly was found dead or dying in his front garden with serious injuries to his head and face inflicted by a golf club — he suffered a very serious golf club blow to the head and catastrophic facial injuries," Staines said.

Prosecution case: acting as a team

Staines argued the three accused "acted together before, during and after the incident." He added that all three "demonstrably told lies to the gardaí at interview" when arrested and questioned about the fatal assault.

In addition to CCTV footage showing the three walking toward Daly's home, the prosecution said it would present footage of all three returning from the scene to the centre of Doneraile.

"We allege joint enterprise or common design — the case we make is that all three were acting as a team," Staines told the jury.

Earlier, Judge Siobhán Lankford advised the jury the trial was expected to last up to five weeks. The case continues.

Source: Irish Times