Cavan man accused of murder was proficient with a knife from boning cow heads

A murder accused agreed with gardaí that he had become proficient with a knife from years of boning cows’ heads in a meat plant. He was being interviewed after handing himself in at a Cork garda station for stabbing his housemate in Cavan days earlier.

The jury heard the contents of his interviews yesterday (Monday) during his trial at the Central Criminal Court, where he has admitted stabbing his housemate with the knife that he (the accused) used on the factory’s ‘kill floor’.

Tomasz Paszkiewicz (39) has pleaded not (NOT) guilty to murder but guilty (GUILTY) to the manslaughter of fellow Polish man Marek Swider (40) at their home on Dublin Street, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan on January 1, 2018. The farm worker died of two stab wounds to his upper body, after beating the accused in a New Year’s Eve poker game.

Garda Razvan Ghetau told the trial that he thought it a joke when a man entered his garda station to say he’d killed his friend.

Gda Ghetau told Sean Guerin SC, prosecuting, that he was on duty in Anglesea Garda Station in Cork City around 10pm on 3rd January, 2018, when the accused came in.

“He was agitated. He seemed nervous,” he testified. “He told me that he had killed a man and that he wanted me to arrest him… that he had killed his friend. I thought it was a joke.”

Gda Ghetau said that he asked the man to repeat what he had said

“He clarified and that’s when I believed him. He was serious,” he recalled.

“He was putting his hands up and asking me to arrest him,” he continued, explaining that the accused was holding his hands out with his wrists together.

The witness said that he and a colleague later asked him a number of questions, and that the accused then agreed to wait in the garda station for officers from Cavan to arrive.

Mr Guerin read out the note that Gda Ghetau took that night:

“He said he killed a Polish man with a knife three days ago, by stabbing him twice. He said the blade was five inches,” read the note.

“It was a colleague I was sharing the house with,” it continued.

“We played cards. I drink a lot of vodka. I lost E500. I went crazy. I took this money and left. He followed me,” he’d said. “I don’t know how I had the knife in my hand. We were talking. Then I took the knife and pushed.”

Inspector John Callinan testified that he and colleagues then travelled from Cavan to Cork to interview the accused.

He outlined the contents of the first interviews for Mr Guerin yesterday.

The accused had explained that he had worked at Liffey Meats in Ballyjamesduff since 2009. He was asked to describe his work.

“My job is boning the heads. I Have to open the cow’s head and cut off the cheeks. That is all I do,” he explained.

“Would it be fair to say that, over the years, you got very good at using a knife?” he was asked.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

He was later shown a knife found at the scene, and he identified it as his work knife, complete with his employee number engraved on it.

His interviewers told him that they believed this to be the knife used to kill his housemate.

“Yeah, it was. That was knife,” he agreed. “I bring this knife from work to home.”

He was again asked about his job.

“I'm not a professional boner, but I do the job of boning the heads,” he explained, agreeing that he had nine years of experience.

“Is it fair to say you’ve become very proficient with a knife?” he was asked.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

He said that people were probably not allowed to take the knives home, but that he had taken this one home a year earlier and had kept it in a drawer.

He said that he did not remember going into the kitchen for that knife on the night of the killing.

“I should go to the kitchen, get the knife, go outside, maybe Marek follow me. I don’t remember,” he said.

He said that he knew he was outside when he used it.

“At one point I move knife forward and use knife,” he said.

The trial continues this (Tuesday) morning before Ms Justice Tara Burns and a jury of seven men and five women.