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Testimonianza a porte chiuse nel processo per omicidio di Francis “Bap” McGreevy

Court cleared as ‘Bap’ trial continues

The public have been excluded from the trial of Belfast man Thomas Valliday, accused of murdering veteran republican Francis ‘Bap’ McGreevy, to protect the identity of a one-time girlfriend of the accused.

The public gallery at Belfast’s Crown Court 12 was cleared even though the girl gave evidence via a live video link and was not physically in the courtroom.

A video-taped interview she gave to police two days after Mr McGreevy was brutally attacked in his Ross Street home on March 15, 2008 was played to the court.

In the video the girl told how she was passing the flat of the 51-year-old father of two and heard “noises as if the house was being wrecked” and went to investigate.

At this point she notice a drunken Valliday, staggering up and down, inside the flat and shouted to him what was he doing.

Valliday immediately asked her to ring for an ambulance, which she did without question, and then Valliday, his right hand covered in dried blood, took the phone from her.

As he talked to the emergency services, the girl went and looked into the flat herself and saw Mr McGreevy lying on the floor his back to her.

Initially she told police that she “started freaking out” and accused a “blocked” Valliday of having killed the man.

Valliday denied this, telling her, “I never … I checked his pulse”.

Multiple weapons

Earlier Assistance State Pathologist Dr Peter Ingram said that Mr McGreevy, who died from head injuries, was struck at least 12 times by possibly three different weapons.

Dr Ingram said that Mr McGreevy, who was moderately intoxicated at the time of the attack which would have affected his ability to defend himself or make an escape had been struck at least seven time on the head and five about the body.

It was the blows to the head which had caused bruising to the brain which had then swelled, and that some of the fractures had shattered into multiple fractures leaving an affect “like dropping a boiled egg”.

The Assistant Pathologist also revealed that one fracture on the right side of the face resulted in the cheek bone actually detaching itself from the rest of the skull.

The majority of the fractures, he added, were caused by a “rod like weapon” such as a wooden brush shaft or a metal shaft, using “moderate force” which had left “tram line” bruising.

However, Dr Ingram said that the fracture to the right side of the face may have been caused by a more substantial weapon such as a pick-axe handle.

The trial continues on Wednesday when more video-taped interviews will be played to the court.

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René Querin

Di professione grafico e web designer, sono appassionato di trekking e innamorato dell'Irlanda e della sua storia. Insieme ad Andrea Varacalli ho creato e gestisco Les Enfants Terribles.

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