Courts / Westmeath / Report

Murder accused "pummelled" deceased and threw him in river, State tells jury

Summary

At the Central Criminal Court, the jury in a murder trial heard closing arguments concerning the death of a 23-year-old man in June 2014. Prosecutors alleged that the two accused men violently assaulted the victim and left him to drown in the River Shannon near Athlone, County Roscommon. Leszek Sychulec, aged 34, of Drinan, Ballymahon, County Longford, and Andrzej Gruchacz, aged 35, a resident of Warsaw, Poland, have each pleaded not guilty to murder and false imprisonment charges relating to the incident. The State's closing submission contended that DNA evidence recovered from Mr Sychulec's clothing linked him to the deceased. The defence challenged the identification evidence against Mr Gruchacz, questioning the reliability of CCTV footage and passport photographs. A witness testified that he was present during the incident. The judge will deliver his charge to the jury on Wednesday.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Murder accused "pummelled" deceased and threw him in river, State tells jury. Charges or matters: murdering Mr Krupa at Bogganfin, Athlone, Co Roscommon. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• June 20th, 2014 Incident
• 2016-04-19 Publication

Why: He said he didn't report what had happened because they had threatened him. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report