Jury retires in St James Hospital murder trial
A jury has retired to consider its verdict at the Central Criminal Court in the trial of a man accused of murdering an Aids patient who was stabbed to death in his hospital bed.
Mr Justice Kevin O’Higgins told the five men and seven women of the jury to be "cool and calm" in their deliberations and not to decide the case on sympathy.
Mr Patrick Gilraine (otherwise known as Kilraine) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Kevin Dowler (aged 52) at St James's Hospital, Dublin on February 7, 2000.
The jury has have heard evidence over four days that Mr Gilraine (aged 50) walked into the hospital and stabbed Mr Dowler seven times, causing fatal injuries to his lungs and liver. Gilraine claimed his victim was a paedophile and that he "had to do it" to "save other kids".
In direct evidence he said he was sorry and that he "went about it the wrong way". The two men were friends and lived near to each other in the Basin Street flats area of Dublin 8.
