Courts / Limerick / Report
Murder accused's "tale of self-defence" insult to jury's intelligence, prosecution say
Summary
In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, the State counsel Anthony Sammon criticised the accused, Arnis Labunskis, for presenting a 'tale of self‑defence' that he deemed an insult to the jury's intelligence. Labunskis, 57, is charged with killing 39‑year‑old Dainius Burba, a Lithuanian father of one, in their Limerick home on 21 or 22 April 2015. Labunskis pleaded not guilty and claimed he had returned home to find Burba seriously injured, but Burba's son later testified that Labunskis had inflicted the injuries. Labunskis alleged that Burba had dragged him into a dark bedroom, swung a wooden table leg at him, and that he had defended himself by disarming Burba and striking back until Burba shouted stop. Sammon argued that this new version of events was fabricated, a falsehood, and that Labunskis had lied to Gardaí to avoid criminal liability.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Murder accused's "tale of self-defence" insult to jury's intelligence, prosecution say. Charges or matters: murdering the Lithuanian father of one, who was also his colleague. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- 22nd April Hearing Or Sentence
- 2017-02-14 Publication
Why: He noted that the accused could provide no reason for those lies in court, but he suggested that the accused knew why he had lied. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: murdering the Lithuanian father of one, who was also his colleague (Alleged Or Contested)
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Wolfe Tone Street
- Limerick City
Topics
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