Courts / Dublin / Report

Teenage girl breaks down as she describes Josh Dunne lying stabbed on ground

Date
2022-05-16

Stage
Trial

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

During the murder trial of George Gonzaga Bento, a 17‑year‑old witness recounted her attempt to find a pulse on the stabbed schoolboy Josh Dunne. She described seeing Josh on the ground, taking a deep breath, and her eyes rolling back before the ambulance arrived. She could not locate a pulse despite repeated attempts. The witness also recalled calling 999 at 9.22 pm, the dispatcher asking what the emergency was, and her subsequent crossing to the other side of East Wall Road. She noted Josh's jacket had a rip under the rib but no visible blood. The testimony was given in court, with the prosecution and defence discussing the circumstances of the fatal stabbing and the alleged involvement of a delivery cyclist wearing blue. The trial was set to continue before Mr Justice Paul Burns and a jury of five men and seven women.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Teenage girl breaks down as she describes Josh Dunne lying stabbed on ground. Charges or matters: murdering 16-year-old Josh at East Wall Road, East Wall on January 26, 2021; each of the four counts. Procedural stage: trial

When:

January 26, 2021 Incident
January 26 Incident
2022-05-16 Publication

Why: Under cross-examination, another witness, who also cannot be named because he is underage, agreed with the defence counsel that there was nothing in CCTV footage which suggested that Josh had tried to stop the fight in East Wall and that instead the deceased had "rushed" towards one of the food-delivery cyclists. Defence account reported by CNI