The jury in a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court has heard a 59-year-old Mayo man met his death in circumstances of "almost indescribable savagery" after he was stabbed 27 times.
A 33-year-old man has gone on trial accused of the murder of John Casserley in Mayo two years ago.
Liam O'Leary, formerly of Kiltimagh in Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Casserley between 23 and 24 October 2024 at an apartment in Tone House, Tone St, Ballina, Co Mayo.
Opening the case for the prosecution today, Senior Counsel Dean Kelly said John Casserley and the accused did not know eachother previously but had become friendly in the weeks before his death.
Mr Casserley, who lived alone in a Peter McVerry Trust apartment, had allowed Liam O'Leary to stay at his home when he needed somewhere to stay for a short time.
The jury heard that on 23 October 2024, neighbours could hear arguing in the apartment and at one point the accused man went to the next apartment and spoke to the woman who lived there.
They were joined by Mr Casserley and "matters became fraught" leading to the woman and her son fleeing their apartment.
Warning: Some readers may find details in this report distressing
Mr Kelly said Mr Casserley was not seen alive after that by anyone other than the accused and when gardaí breached the door of his apartment a short time later, they found Mr Casserley lying naked in the hallway with the accused man standing over him fully clothed.
Mr Kelly said what was known was that Mr Casserley "met his death in circumstances of almost indescribable savagery".
He said he had been stabbed 27 times and had also suffered multiple blunt force injuries. One of his eyes had been removed and he had stab injuries all over his body including to his genital area.
An almost 20cm blade had been lodged in his mouth and another knife was removed from his anus, Mr Kelly said.
He said all of the facial bones down one side of his face had been fractured and he had stab wounds and injuries all over his body.
Mr Kelly told the jury it would be the most natural thing in the world to feel profound sympathy and horror but said they must do their job coldly and analytically and put any sense of outrage or sympathy utterly out of their minds in assessing the evidence in the case.
Earlier, he told the jury that the deceased man, John Casserley, had been born to Irish parents in the UK but had moved to Ireland when his parents returned home and completed his education in Ballhaunis, Co Mayo.
He had lived for a time in the US but had returned to Ireland settled in Ballina in 2014. He was not married and did not have children but had a large extended family.
On the day he died he had spent an "unremarkable day" having gone swimming with a friend, followed by a trip to the supermarket before he returned home with that friend who later left when Mr O'Leary had returned to the apartment.
The jury was told it would hear evidence from the friend and from a neighbour who spoke to the men on the night.
'A great friend'
A witness, Katrina Hennegan told Mr Kelly that the deceased was a "great friend", whom she would visit five days a week.
On the afternoon preceding his death, she visited Mr Casserly's home where she met Gabriel Jaworska and Mr O'Leary. This was her first time meeting Mr O'Leary, who she said was "talking a mile a minute".
She heard him say that the council "better get me a set of keys for a house because my mother has f**ked me over for years".
She also heard him say that he would kill himself. He insulted Ms Jaworska, a Polish national, by saying "the Polish are no good", and although Ms Jaworska twice told him to "shut up", he kept talking. The witness said he seemed to be "ranting and raving and very angry".
Ms Hennegan also recalled Mr Casserly and Ms Jaworska smoking a marijuana cigarette, but she could not remember if Mr O'Leary had smoked.
Under cross-examination, Ms Hennegan told defence counsel Michael Bowman SC that she got to know Mr Casserly through a club for people with mental issues. He was incredibly kind, she said, had a wonderful sense of humour and went out of his way for his friends.
Ms Jaworska told Mr Kelly she was also good friends with Mr Casserly and they would go swimming together once a week. The same day, she and Mr Casserly had gone swimming and returned to his home.
She said they would normally play chess but could not because Mr O'Leary was "always talking" even though nobody was listening.
Ms Jaworska agreed with Mr Bowman that she knew Mr O'Leary had a mental illness but she did not know the nature of his diagnosis. She agreed that she could see he was unwell from the way he behaved that day.
She further agreed that she had shared a cannabis joint with Mr Casserly.
The trial before Ms Justice Melanie Greally is expected to last three weeks.
Additional reporting: Ireland International
