Man convicted of Cavan murder

A jury at the Central Criminal Court has convicted Przemyslaw Trebacz of murdering Costel Catalin Cretu in County Cavan. Trebacz, a 35-year-old Polish national residing in Killynebber, pleaded not guilty to the charge but admitted guilt to a count of criminal damage. The offence occurred between 13 and 14 October 2012 at Connolly Court in Cavan town. Following nearly ten hours of deliberation, the jury returned a majority verdict of ten to two. The prosecution had alleged that Trebacz attended the premises with intent to commit robbery with a weapon, during which the fatal incident occurred. Mr Cretu, a 38-year-old Romanian man, sustained two stab wounds to the chest and back while protecting workers present at the location and was pronounced dead at the scene. The defence case centred on claims of self-defence and provocation. Evidence concerning fingerprints at the scene and whether the accused was armed featured in the trial proceedings. Mr Justice Barry White provided comprehensive direction to the jury regarding the potential availability of self-defence as a complete defence and provocation as a grounds for reduction of the charge to manslaughter. Sentencing was adjourned to January 2013, at which stage a victim impact statement was to be presented to the court. The case proceeded through subsequent stages of the criminal justice system, with Trebacz later receiving a mandatory life sentence in February 2014. An appeal against conviction was subsequently lodged and later dismissed by the Court of Appeal in February 2019, with the appellate court finding no inadequacy in the trial judge's conduct or evidence presentation and determining the original verdict was safe.