When a gunman dressed as a woman opened fire in a busy car park it was lucky that only one person died, a witness at a murder trial said today.

Mark Kelly is a member of the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club and was talking to fellow pigeon enthusiast Keith Walker in the club car park when a gunman in a wig and women’s gym clothes walked up and shot Mr Walker with a sub-machine gun.

Mr Kelly told the trial of Christopher McDonald that there were children nearby and it was “lucky there wasn’t more people killed”.

Mr McDonald (34), from East Wall ….read more

(File Picture: State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy. Credit: Collins)

A pigeon racing enthusiast died quickly after suffering 18 bullet wounds to the head and body, State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy has told a murder trial.

Christopher McDonald (34), from the East Wall area of Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker on June 12 2015 in the car park of the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club on Shelerin Road, Clonsilla.

At the Central Criminal Court today, Professor Cassidy told prosecuting counsel Denis Vaughan Buckley SC that she examined Mr Walker’s body at Connolly Hospital in Dublin one day after ….read more

A man dressed in women’s clothes asked two teenage boys for directions to a pigeon club where a man was shot 18 times with a sub-machine gun.

The teens gave evidence in the trial of Christopher McDonald (34) from the East Wall area of Dublin.

Mr McDonald has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker at Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club on Shelerin Road in Clonsilla on June 12, 2015. He is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

It is the State’s case that the man dressed as a woman was the accused on his way to the Pigeon ….read more

A witness was held back by prison officers after he lunged at a murder accused in front of the jury hearing his trial.

Jason O’Connor was due to give evidence in the trial of Christopher McDonald (34) from the East Wall area of Dublin. Mr McDonald has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker at Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club on Shelerin Road in Clonsilla on June 12, 2015. He is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Having been called to give evidence, Mr O’Connor walked behind the accused man and was then seen to lunge at him. Four ….read more

A man dressed as a woman took a sub-machine gun from his handbag and shot a man 18 times in the car park of a pigeon racing club, a barrister has told a murder trial jury.

Denis Vaughan Buckley SC opened the trial of Christopher McDonald (34), telling the jury that they will see CCTV footage of the fatal shooting.

Mr McDonald, with an address in the East Wall area of Dublin, is charged with the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker at Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club on Shelerin Road in Clonsilla on June 12, 2015. He has pleaded not guilty and ….read more

A Dublin man accused of murder at a pigeon racing club has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court.

Christopher McDonald (34), with an address in the East Wall area of Dublin, is charged with the murder of 36-year-old Keith Walker at a pigeon club on Shelerin Road in Clonsilla on June 12, 2015.

When arraigned this morning he replied, “not guilty,” before Justice Patrick McCarthy, who swore a jury of six men and six women to hear his trial.

Justice McCarthy told the jurors that the trial will last two weeks and could go into a third. He asked them to ….read more

The jury in the trial of a man who admitted killing his girlfriend is unable to decide whether he is guilty of murder or manslaughter.

After seven hours and thirteen minutes of deliberations, the five women and seven men said they could not overcome their disagreement.

Darren Murphy (40), of Dan Desmond Villas in Passage West, Co Cork, pleaded not guilty to murdering Olivia Dunlea at her home in Pembroke Crescent on February 17, 2013. He pleaded guilty to her manslaughter but his plea was rejected and he has been on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the past two-and-a-half weeks.

Justice ….read more

A mum who suffered from a personality disorder and stabbed her toddler son to death was sentenced to five years in prison at the Central Criminal Court this morning.

Hazel Waters (47) of Ridge Hall, Ballybrack admitted killing two-year-old Muhammad Hassan Khan between 15-16 October, 2014. Her plea of guilty to manslaughter was accepted and Justice Patrick McCarthy, passing sentence, said her disorder meant that her responsibility for the killing was diminished.

However, he also noted that her treating doctor at the Central Mental Hospital said she had only superficially engaged with doctors regarding the boy’s killing. Her doctor described her as ….read more

A jury has asked to see the moment murder accused demonstrated to gardai how he stabbed his girlfriend while she lay face down on her bed.

Darren Murphy (40), of Dan Desmond Villas in Passage West, Co Cork, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Olivia Dunlea at her home in Pembroke Crescent on February 17, 2013. Mr Murphy pleaded guilty to her manslaughter and admitted that he stabbed her in the neck and set fire to her home.

His plea was not accepted and a jury at the Central Criminal Court is considering their verdict at his trial.

During garda interviews, Mr Murphy ….read more

A jury will tomorrow begin considering whether a man who admits stabbing his girlfriend to death is guilty of murder or manslaughter.

Darren Murphy (40), of Dan Desmond Villas in Passage West, Co Cork, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Olivia Dunlea at her home in Pembroke Crescent on February 17, 2013.

Mr Murphy pleaded guilty to her manslaughter and admitted that he stabbed her in the neck and set fire to her home. His plea was not accepted and he is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Justice Patrick McCarthy charged the jury today, telling them they must consider Mr ….read more