Juraci Da Silva pleads not guilty to murder in Waterford

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Juraci Da Silva pleaded not guilty to the murder of James Banville and guilty to his manslaughter. The State did not accept the manslaughter plea. Da Silva also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Conor Hogan causing him harm and to producing a knife. The charges related to New Street in Waterford on 8 October 2016.

The proceedings were reported on 9 October 2017. The trial was continuing at the Central Criminal Court before Mr Justice Michael White and a jury.

Melanie Byrne told the trial that a man was racially abused and punched for no reason. The prosecution’s case was that Hogan and Banville were the two men involved and that Da Silva was the man they assaulted. The prosecution alleged that Da Silva later stabbed Banville to death.