Galway Bay fm newsroom - A court has heard that the man accused of the manslaughter of an Oughterard publican told Gardaí the last time he saw the deceased he was locking the pub door behind him.
The body of 56 year old John Kenny was found in the ladies toilets of Kenny's Bar, Main Street, Oughterard, on September 25th 2011.
24 year old Marian Lingurar Junior with an address at Blackpool in Cork is accused of his manslaughter, as well as a charge of trespass with intent to commit an offence.
Last week, then State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy outlined the violent injuries suffered by Mr. Kenny - noting that despite their severity, he would likely have survived 'for a time'.
A statement was read out at Galway Circuit Court that Marian Lingurar Jr., who was then a juvenile, gave Gardaí on the 26th of September, 2011.
He said a man he had known a few months, Florin Fitzpatrick, had gotten him a job working out at Kenny's Bar in Oughterard.
The court heard that Marian Lingurar Jr. claimed to have worked at Kenny's Bar the week prior to John Kenny's death - and that Mr. Kenny was happy with the arrangement and invited him back to work on Saturday, September 24th.
He says on that night, he began work at 8pm, and was initially cleaning glasses before he starting checking IDs - and that he turned some underage people away.
Marian Lingurar Jr. told Gardai both he and Florin Fitzpatrick, who worked behind the bar, cleaned the place up, and that by this point, John Kenny was 'very drunk' and 'falling about the place'.
In his statement, he says he gave Mr. Kenny some water, and that himself and Florin Fitzpatrick left about 1am, at which point John Kenny locked the door behind them.
He claims they both checked that the door was indeed locked, and left with Marian Lingurar Snr., who drove all three back to Galway.
He said they dropped Florin Fitzpatrick off in Galway City and that he arrived home to Claregalway at around 1.40am.
The trial continues at Galway Circuit Court.
