Galway Bay fm newsroom - A court has heard that mobile phone data appears to place the man accused of the manslaughter of an Oughterard publican in the area around the time he was brutally beaten to death.
24 year old, Marian Lingurar Jr. of Blackpool, Co. Cork is charged with the unlawful killing of John Kenny at Kenny's Bar, Main Street, Oughterard, on September 25th, 2011.
John Kenny was found by his wife and daughter - he had suffered a violent and sustained assault.
Marian Lingurar Jr. gave a statement to Gardaí the following evening at his home at Loughgeorge, Claregalway, in which he stated he had been working at the bar that night.
He claimed to have left at around 1am, and said when he last saw John Kenny, he was locking the front doors of the pub behind him.
He told Gardaí in September 2011 that he arrived home in Claregalway that night at around 1.40am, and that after that, he was 'sure' that he had not called or texted anyone.
Lawyers for the prosecution argue that the accused left Kenny's Bar at around 1.30am - but returned around 2.20am, with intent to steal and commit violence if necessary.
The court heard that a phone number attributed to Marian Lingurar Jr. was 'pinged' in the Oughterard area multiple times between 2.20am and 3am, as were phones belonging to Marian Lingurar (Snr) and another man, Vasile Muntean.
The number attributed to Marian Lingurar Jr. was last pinged in the Oughterard area at around 3am - then pinged in Moycullen shortly after 3.10am, and again at Headford Road in Galway city at almost 3.30am.
A phone call was also made around this time to Marian Lingurar Jr's phone number from a landline in Claregalway.
This landline also made another call to his number at around 4.06am, at which point it was pinged off a mobile phone mast in Corrandulla.
The court also heard that Florin Fitzpatrick - who worked at the bar on the night of Saturday, September 24th - texted John Kenny twice in the early hours of Sunday morning.
John Kenny's wife Kathleen Kenny, and daughter Gillian Kenny, both gave evidence earlier in the trial that Florin Fitzpatrick was a negative influence and that John Kenny had been afraid of him.
The trial continues at Galway Circuit Court.
