Man charged with killing friend denies ‘sugarcoating’ his actions
A MAN accused of striking a fatal blow which killed his friend yesterday denied he had tried to “sugarcoat and underplay” his actions.
As he gave evidence at his trial, Joseph Dorrian (23) said that after being punched by Darren O’neill at a car park in Tyrella Beach, he pushed his arm out in self defence.
This claim was rejected by a Crown barrister, who told Dorrian that after being “absolutely furious” with Mr O’neill for driving his father’s jeep and following a physical confrontation “you couldn’t resist and you let him have it” with a punch to the jaw.
Dorrian, from Lakeview in Crumlin, is currently standing trial at Downpatrick Crown Court after denying a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of self defence.
Mr O’neill, who was 22 and from west Belfast, died two days after the altercation with Dorrian. The pair and two females travelled from the city to the Co Down beach on June 27, 2019.
Several witnesses have already told the jury about seeing the two men arguing and fighting after Mr O’neill drove the jeep and performed handbrake turns in the car park.
After being called to the witness box, Dorrian was asked about the confrontation he had with Mr O’neill when the car came to a halt. Saying he was “annoyed” but not angry, the defendant said: “Darren was laughing when he got out of the car and I confronted him to ask him what he was playing at.”
Dorrian accepted words were exchanged and that at one stage their heads were touching.
Dorrian was asked by his barrister Brendan Kelly QC: “What happened between you and Darren which led to him falling to the ground?”
He replied: “I noticed a change in his body language. I said to him, ‘What are you going to do Darren, hit me’ and he swung a dig and I pulled my head back the ways.”
Dorrian said this blow glanced off his shoulder and hit his chin.
Mr Kelly then asked his client: “Once you had been struck, what happened then?”
Dorrian said: “I just reacted. I was frightened of receiving more punches and I wanted it to stop.
“I pushed my hand out in reasonable force to give him the indication to stop.”
He added: “I didn’t intent to hurt him.”
Dorrian confirmed that when Mr O’neill collapsed a short time later, he helped to perform CPR.
Under cross-examination by Crown barrister Gavan Duffy QC, Dorrian was accused of downplaying how angry he was about Mr O’neill driving the jeep, lying to police about the physical confrontation and “sugarcoating” his actions.
Dorrian described the jeep as “my family’s pride and joy”.
When it was suggested he was “horrified” when his intoxicated friend started doing handbrake turns, and that he wanted to hit him when he got out of the vehicle, Dorrian said: “I don’t accept that, that’s not true.”
Mr Duffy raised accounts given by various witnesses to the altercation. These included people who recounted Mr O’neill’s intoxicated state, and a man who described the punch thrown by him as “limp”.
When it was put to Dorrian than several witnesses recalled that it was Mr O’neill who said ‘hit me, hit me’ to Dorrian, he said: “I don’t accept that, no.”
Dorrian was questioned about the different accounts he gave to police — one at the scene which was recorded on a bodycam and a second during an interview the next day. On the footage, Dorrian can he heard telling an officer he struck out after being told by Mr O’neill ‘hit me a dig back’.
The following day, he told police this wasn’t the case.
He maintained that Mr O’neill didn’t say those words, that the account he gave at the scene was wrong and at that time he “panicked ... everything was going through my head and I was just spitting words out.”
And when it was pointed out that what he said at the scene was the same account given by witnesses — which Dorrian now claims are all incorrect — he was accused of “dumping” his first account and “reconstructing” a version which better suited claims of self defence.
Mr Duffy accused Dorrian of “goading” his friend into a physical fight after driving the car where slaps were exchanged and that Mr O’neill was “in a physically vulnerable state and unfit to fight” due to his intoxicated state.
The Crown barrister then suggested to Dorrian “that after he punched you, he immediately realised he had made a mistake and invited you to hit him.”
Dorrian replied: “I don’t agree with that.”
Mr Duffy continued: “The bottom line, Mr Dorrian, is that you couldn’t resist, you just couldn’t resist, and you let him have it.” Describing this blow to the jaw as “unnecessary and unwarranted”, Mr Duffy added “unfortunately for you and more unfortunately for Mr O’neill, you caused his death”.
Dorrian replied: “I didn’t set out to hurt my best friend. The day was meant to be a fun day at the beach.”
At hearing.