Murder trial hears how tragic Daniel begged for his life
DANIEL McAnaspie begged for his life after he was stabbed 12 times with the blade from a garden shears, a murder trial has heard.
Richard Dekker (30), from Blanchardstown, Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Daniel at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown.
The young man was killed on February 26, 2010.
Detective Garda Patrick McDonagh told the trial yesterday he interviewed Mr Dekker several times on May 24 and 25, 2010, at Cabra garda station.
Daniel’s decomposed body had been found in a drainage ditch 11 days earlier.
The Central Criminal Court heard details of how Mr Dekker accused another man, Trevor Noone (28), of the murder.
The men were known to have been among the last people to see Daniel.
During interviews Mr Dekker at first denied all knowledge of what happened to the teenager.
He told gardaí he felt sorry for Daniel’s family.
“I didn’t know Daniel. I don’t know who stabbed him. If I did I would tell you,” he allegedly told investigating officers.
He told them the kind of people who would kill Daniel were “lowlifes” who should be “buried alive”.
The trial heard how the interview continued through the night.
At around 6am, gardaí showed Mr Dekker a transcript from a statement made by Trevor Noone, in Blanchardstown garda station, the previous evening.
Mr Noone had accused Mr Dekker of the stabbing.
The court heard Mr Dekker responded to gardaí that Mr Noone was lying.
He then told gardaí everything Mr Noone accused him of were things that Mr Noone himself had done.
He claimed there was a clash between Mr Noone and Daniel earlier in the evening.
This, he alleged, was over claims made by Daniel that he had fought with a relative of Mr Noone.
The incident blew over but later Mr Noone allegedly told Mr Dekker he wanted to bring Daniel to Tolka Valley Park “to give him a hiding”.
The accused said he knew Mr Noone had the blade of the shears with him but did not think he was going to use it.
The three left Whitestown Avenue, where they had been drinking, and walked into Tolka Valley Park and onto a wooden footpath that crosses the Tolka River.
As they walked along, Mr Dekker said Mr Noone had the blade in his hand and used it to stab Daniel in the back.
The teenager fell down towards the river. “Please, please lads, I’m dying,” Daniel reportedly begged after the incident.
Mr Dekker told gardaí he begged Mr Noone to stop. “I was begging him, pleading and begging him,” he claimed.
But he said he got scared because he thought Mr Noone would use the blade on him.
He said he had “evil” in his eyes as he continued his attack on Daniel saying “he has to go.”.
He told gardai that Mr Noone had done bad things in the past, including allegedly stabbing a dog to death and burying it in his garden.
Describing the final attack on Daniel, he said Mr Noone “viciously, viciously, viciously stuck him with the blade” and twisted it “to make sure”.
Following the attack he said Mr Noone picked up the teenager’s body and threw it into a bush.
Gardaí asked him what happened next and he said: “We just walked off home”.
Also giving evidence, Dr David Casey of Forensic Science Ireland said Daniel’s jacket had around 12 stab cuts in it when it was discovered.