"An absolute gentleman" appeared "starving" and "frightened" in the months before his death, having told friends that a young man whom he had put up in his home and now stands accused of murder was demanding money from him, witnesses have told a Central Criminal Court trial.
The jury were also told that the accused's mother said she saw her son stabbing Peter Kennedy in the back of the neck with a five-inch blade as he shouted for help in his own home.
The jury heard that the accused's mother also witnessed her son threatening to kill the pensioner.
Brian Ibe, who is 23, denies murdering Mr Kennedy, but admits causing the 65-year-old's death, after the deceased had offered Mr Ibe and his mother the use of his home and address until they found accommodation.
Mr Ibe - of no fixed abode and formerly of Moore Park, Newbridge, Co Kildare and the Peter McVerry Trust, Dublin 12 - has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Mr Kennedy in Newbridge between 28 April, 2020 and 12 May, 2020.
Ibe has also pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a charge of assault causing harm to Garda Brendan O'Donnell at Newbridge Garda Station on 29 April, 2020.
'This won't end well'
At the Central Criminal Court today, Lisa Swords, who knew Mr Kennedy for 36 years, told Fiona Murphy SC, prosecuting, that Mr Kennedy was "always a good friend" who was good to her family.
Ms Swords said that she found out that Mr Kennedy had taken in Mr Ibe’s mother, who was homeless, and asked him what he was doing, warning him "this won’t end well".
Ms Swords urged him to tell Mr Ibe’s mother to go through the proper channels for housing.
Ms Swords said that she met Mr Kennedy over Christmas 2019 and that "he looked like he was starving".
Ms Swords said that Mr Kennedy said that he had observed Mr Ibe talking to himself in his house and that he had demanded money from him "many times".
Ms Swords said that she had told Mr Kennedy to beware of a psychotic episode occurring, and that Mr Kennedy told her he did not know if Mr Ibe was on any medication.
Pauline Harty was a friend and neighbour of Mr Kennedy for 10 years, and said he was a "total, absolute gentleman, who could not see any bad in anyone and would help them".
Ms Harty described Mr Kennedy as "too good" and someone "who was always allowing people to stay with him and use his address if people were homeless".
Ms Harty said she met Mr Kennedy in December 2019, when he asked for her help with Mr Ibe.
Ms Harty said that Mr Kennedy told her that he was recently awoken by Mr Ibe at around 3 or 4am, and was told by the accused that if he did not hand over €30 or €40 that "he was going to kill me".
"He was concerned he would actually be choked," Ms Harty told Ms Murphy.
Ms Harty said that she, Mr Kennedy and gardaí attended the house, where officers directed Mr Ibe to leave.
Efforts were made to find accommodation for him via local councillor Chris Pender, who contacted the Peter McVerry Trust.
'I will kill you'
In a statement read into the court by Ms Murphy, Mr Ibe’s mother, Martha, said that she had been living in a car after losing her husband, and that she had moved into Mr Kennedy's home two weeks before Christmas 2018.
Mrs Ibe said that she knew Peter to be a "lovely man", and that she cleaned up the house for him.
Mrs Ibe said that Peter had told her that her son could come and live in the house with them, but that it had been a long time since she had seen her son and that she "didn’t know what he would be like".
Mrs Ibe said that her son had been "smoking weed" and that he would become "aggressive for no reason, but on some days he would be fine".
Mrs Ibe said she witnessed her son "freak out", threaten Peter that he would "get him" and tell him: "I will kill you".
The statement reads that Mrs Ibe claims to have witnessed her son throwing cigarettes around the house "in an attempt to start a fire", noting that there was a large amount of cardboard boxes in Mr Kennedy’s home.
Mrs Ibe said that on 28 April, 2020, Mr Kennedy walked past Mrs Ibe, quickly followed by her son, who "appeared to have a knife".
Mrs Ibe said the last thing she saw of the incident was her son stabbing Mr Kennedy in the back of the neck in an upstairs bedroom.
Mrs Ibe said her son went "straight for Peter" with a four-to-five-inch blade and that she could hear Mr Kennedy shouting for help and for gardaí to be called.
In her statement, Mrs Ibe said she ran from the house to the back of a separate house and called the guards.
'Saturated in blood'
Garda Shane Lehane attended the scene at approximately 9pm and saw a window at the back of the house, smashed from the outside.
Garda Lehane told the court that he entered the house and went upstairs where he could hear loud "growling noises".
Garda Lehane said he entered the bedroom and saw Mr Kennedy "flat on his back, saturated in blood". He said he rolled the victim on his side, attending to him until ambulance and garda support arrived.
Mr Kennedy was taken first to Naas hospital and then to Beaumont hospital for his injuries but passed away on 12 May, 2020.
A pathology report by Dr Heidi Okkers was also read into the record by Ms Murphy.
Dr Okkers recorded "multiple contusions and fractures" to Mr Kennedy’s head and face.
Mr Kennedy also sustained scars and bruises on his arms, back and left thigh and was also missing teeth as a result of the attack.
The report read that Mr Kennedy died of brain injury caused by traumatic head injuries.
The trial is expected to last up to two weeks and continues tomorrow, Friday, in front of Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of seven women and five men.
In opening the case at the Central Criminal Court yesterday, Ms Murphy told the jury that it is not disputed that the accused caused the death of Mr Kennedy, but that it was for them to determine whether or not Mr Ibe was suffering with a mental illness such that it would allow the defence of not guilty by reason of insanity.
