Jury considers verdict in trial of 17-year-old who killed teen

A JURY has begun considering their verdict in the trial of a teenager accused of murdering another teen during a melée in a Dublin park.

Judge Paul McDermott at the Central Criminal Court told the six men and six women that they must decide whether the 17-year-old accused is guilty of murder or manslaughter.

The accused, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Azzam Raguragui, 18, at Finsbury Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14 on May 10, 2019.

The trial has heard that a fight erupted between two groups of teens following a row about a stolen bike. During the melee the accused stabbed Mr Raguragui causing his death.

The judge explained that the boy’s defence is that he believed he was acting in self-defence but used excessive force when he stabbed Mr Raguragui. He added: ‘The central issue is whether the accused honestly believed the force he used was necessary in the circumstances as he believed them to be.’

The jury must consider, the judge said, what the accused thought at the very moment when he inflicted the stab wounds.

If he honestly believed he was acting in self defence but used more force than a reasonable person would consider necessary, then he is guilty of manslaughter and not murder, the judge said. However, if the prosecution has excluded the possibility that he believed he was acting in self defence then the correct verdict is guilty of murder.

The jury will return to court today to continue its deliberations.