The trial began today at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork.
43-year-old Andrew Nash of Parnell Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jonathan Ustic at a date unknown between the 24th and 25th of September 2017 at 15 High Street, Skibbereen.
Outlining the prosecution’s case for the jury, Sean Gillane SC said former State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy found 51-year-old Jonathan Ustic died from blunt force trauma to the head, neck and chest with a contributory factor of acute alcohol intoxication.
He said it would be the State’s case that Andrew Nash had stayed at the home of two friends in Cork city on September 23rd 2017 and had asked them to drive him to Skibbereen the following day after his mother phoned him.
His friends agreed to take him to West Cork and Mr Gillane said the accused had entered number 15 and struck Jonathan Ustic several times before matters calmed and the two men went to Lough Hyne where more alcohol was consumed.
The prosecution Senior Counsel told the jury of seven men and five women that Nash had aggressively pulled Jonathan Ustic out of the car when they returned to High Street and the Englishman had struck his head off the ground.
The State argued that Nash attacked his mother’s partner when they got back inside the house and had “stamped on his face” and repeatedly lifted and dropped a nearby sofa onto Jonathan Ustic’s chest and head before leaving the house at 10:30pm
The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Michael McGrath and is expected to last up to three weeks.
