‘I JUST SNAPPED’
NORTH KERRY MURDER TRIAL: Accused says victim ‘had to be stopped one way or another’
A NORTH Kerry farmer accused of murdering a neighbour told gardaí that he knew he would kill or seriously injure the elderly man when he rammed his car with a forked teleporter agri-machine.
Michael Ferris (62) with an address at Rattoo, Ballyduff is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee for the murder of tillage farmer Anthony O’Mahony (74) of Ardoughter at Rattoo, Ballyduff, shortly before 9am on April 4, 2017. Mr Ferris denies the charge. On Tuesday – the fourth day of the trial – the jury heard a transcript of Mr Ferris’ interview by Detectives at Listowel Garda Station a few hours after the fatal incident.
Mr Ferris told gardaí that a ‘crow banger’ device – which was at the heart of a long running dispute between the two neighbouring landowners – had been going off for about a week and that it was “very annoying”.
“I just snapped, I suppose,” he told gardaí, adding, “I had to do something about it”.
Mr Ferris – who admitted driving his teleporter into Mr O’Mahony’s car – was asked what he was thinking as he drove towards the car.
“Nothing good anyway,” he said, “just to get him and that was it,” he added.
“He (Mr O’Mahony) had to be stopped one way or another,” Mr Ferris told Detective John Heaslip.
Mr Ferris was also asked if he knew, at the time of the incident, that ramming the car with his teleporter would kill Mr O’Mahony.
“Well if I didn’t kill him I’d have seriously injured him,” he told Detectives.
Det Heaslip asked Mr Ferris what his intention was as he drove towards Mr O’Mahony’s car on the small country road.
“I suppose to do away with him,” he said.
“Was it your intention to kill?” Det Heaslip asked. “I suppose so,” Mr Ferris said. The trial – before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury of seven men and five women – continues.
A NORTH Kerry farmer accused of murdering a neighbour told gardaí that he knew he would kill or seriously injure the elderly man when he rammed his car with a forked teleporter agri-machine.
Michael ‘Mike’ Ferris (62) with an address at Rattoo, Ballyduff is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee for the murder of tillage farmer Anthony O’Mahony (74) of Ardoughter at Rattoo, Ballyduff, shortly before 9am on April 4, 2017. He denies the charge.
The trial previously heard that Mr Ferris “intentionally rammed” Mr O’Mahony’s car with the prongs of a teleporter, causing him multiple “catastrophic injuries”.
The incident was prompted by a long running dispute between the two neighbouring landowners revolving around Mr O’Mahony’s use of a loud ‘crow banger’ device on his land.
On Tuesday – the fourth day of the trial – the jury heard a transcript of Mr Ferris’ interview by detectives at Listowel Garda Station a few hours after the fatal incident took place.
Mr Ferris told gardaí that the crow banger had been on for about a week and that it was “very annoying”, later adding that “this banger business” had been going on for about 30 years.
“I just snapped, I suppose” he told gardaí adding, “I had to do something about it”.
Mr Ferris said he had parked his teleporter across the road, blocking it, then “went off to do a few jobs”.
When he heard “hooting” he returned to the parked teleporter and saw Mr O’Mahony’s car stopped a short distance away from it.
“I sat on (the teleporter). I didn’t talk to him, it was no good talking to him,” Mr Ferris told Gardaí.
“I made for the car and drove into he said.
Mr Ferris was asked what he was thinking as he drove towards the car.
“Nothing good anyway” he said “just to get him and that was it”.
What did he mean by “get him” he was asked. “I wanted to drop the forks down on top of him,” Mr Ferris said.
When asked if he had been thinking about doing something like this for few days, Mr Ferris replied “yeah”.
Detective John Heaslip later asked Mr Ferris what was in his mind during the incident.
“He (Mr O’Mahony) had to be stopped one way or another,” Mr Ferris replied.
Det Heaslip suggested that there must “surely” have been a better way to end his dispute with Mr O’Mahony and that the pair could have talked through the issue.
“Not with him, he’d take no notice,” Mr Ferris said.
Det Heaslip said there must have been another way to solve the row. Mr Ferris it,” replied “believe me there wasn’t one”.
Mr Ferris was then asked if he knew at the time that ramming the car with his teleporter would kill Mr O’Mahony.
“Well if I didn’t kill him I’d have seriously injured him,” he said.
Det Heaslip then asked Mr Ferris what his intention was as he drove towards Mr O’Mahony’s car.
“I suppose to do away with him,” he said. “Was it your intention to kill?” Det Heaslip asked.
“I suppose so,” Mr Ferris said.
TUESDAY’S sitting also heard from Public Service Vehicle Inspector and Forensic Collision Investigator Garda James O’Brien who inspected the vehicles and the scene of the incident.
Garda O’Brien said that evidence at the scene suggested that teleporter had been parked across the road, blocking it.
Marks on the road and grass verge suggested the large agricultural vehicle – which Garda O’Brien said was designed to manoeuvre well in tight areas – had turned an accelerated “pretty quickly” up the road with its boom extended “half way” in front of it.
About 15 to 18 metres up the road the teleporter forks struck Mr O’Mahony’s Peugeot “stopping the car in its tracks” and lifting it clear of the ground.
Garda O’Brien said it appeared, based on the lack of skid marks from the car, that it was pierced, dropped and picked up a number of times.
He said the car was “immensely distorted” and that their were puncture holes on the bonnet, front grille and roof.
Garda O’Brien told the court he had also carried out tests on the ‘crow banger’ at the centre of the row between the two men.
The jury – who were shown the device – were told that the banger was about 20 years old, in good working order and could produce a “very disturbing noise”, considerably louder than a shotgun it was tested against.
When used correctly – in the centre of a 12 acre field – the device produces a “gas explosion” that measures around 92 decibels. However, Garda O’Brien said this increased closer to the device and noise level tests conducted one metre from it recorded a 188 decibel bang.
The case continues.