Courts / Kildare / Report

Accused knew chainsaw had been used in murder, State tell jury

Summary

Paul Wells Junior, aged 33, stands trial for disposing of a chainsaw motor, blade and chain that were used to dismember Kenneth O'Brien. He is charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of his father, Paul Wells Senior, who was later convicted of O'Brien's murder. The defence argues that Wells Junior acted in panic, was physically abused by his father, and did not intend to obstruct the investigation. He voluntarily gave a statement to Gardaí on 5 February 2016 and was arrested the next day on suspicion of murder. The prosecution maintains that Wells Junior knew his father had committed the offence when he disposed of the chainsaw and fully understood the consequences. The case is before the Central Criminal Court, with the jury to deliberate on the charges of impeding the investigation. The trial is ongoing and no verdict has yet been reached. Paul Wells Junior pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Accused knew chainsaw had been used in murder, State tell jury. Charges or matters: impeding the apprehension or prosecution of his father Paul Wells Senior (51) by disposing of a chainsaw nearly four years ago; disposing of a chainsaw motor at a time unknown between January 19 and 20, 2016 in Co Kildare and not guilty to disposing of a chainsaw blade and chain on January 20, 2016 in the same location. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• January 19 Incident
• January 20, 2016 Other
• February 5, 2016 Incident
• February 6 Incident
• January 20 Incident
• January 15 Other
• Christmas Other
• 2019-11-19 Publication

Why: The lawyer told the jurors that Mr Wells Jnr neglected to inform gardai about the most incriminating elements of his behaviour because he knew it was not in his interest. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report