Athlone man given "absolutely savage" beating and left to drown, murder trial jury told

Two men appeared before the Central Criminal Court in April 2016 charged with the murder of a 23-year-old man in County Roscommon nearly two years earlier. Leszek Sychulec, aged 34, of Drinan, Ballymahon, County Longford, and Andrzej Gruchacz, aged 35, with an address in Warsaw, Poland, pleaded not guilty to murdering Patryk Krupa at Bogganfin, Athlone on 20 June 2014. Both men also denied a charge of false imprisonment on the same date and location. The prosecution outlined that the victim had been subjected to severe violence and subsequently drowned in the Shannon River. Evidence was expected to show that witnesses identified the accused men leaving a black BMW vehicle at the riverside location. A pathologist was anticipated to give evidence regarding injuries consistent with footwear marks and that the victim was unconscious when entering the water. The trial, heard before Mr Justice Tony Hunt, was expected to continue for more than three weeks.