Man appeals conviction for murdering brothel guard

A Polish national has had his appeal against a murder conviction dismissed by the Court of Appeal. Przemyslaw Trebacz, formerly of Bramble Rise, Killynebber, Cavan, was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2014 after a Central Criminal Court jury returned a majority verdict finding him guilty of murdering Costel Catalin Cretu on 13 or 14 October 2012 at Connolly Court, Cavan. The victim, a 38-year-old Romanian national, sustained two fatal stab wounds to the chest and back. At trial, the prosecution contended that Trebacz and another man attended the premises with intent to commit robbery. The defence maintained that Trebacz had attended as a customer and acted in self-defence. Trebacz pleaded not guilty to murder but admitted criminal damage. The jury, comprising ten members in favour of conviction against two dissenters, reached its verdict after nearly ten hours of deliberation. The trial heard evidence from a taxi driver who had transported the accused to the location, and testimony from a female witness regarding events inside the apartment. The appeal challenged the safety of the conviction on multiple grounds, including the adequacy of the trial judge's directions to the jury and the reliability of witness testimony, particularly concerning the layout of the apartment and what could have been observed from different positions. In his judgment, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy found no inadequacy in the trial judge's conduct or summary of evidence. The Court of Appeal determined the verdict was sound and dismissed the appeal, upholding the life sentence imposed in February 2014. A three-year sentence relating to the criminal damage conviction had previously been suspended at sentencing.