Mark Crawford pleads not guilty to Limerick murder charge

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

Mark Crawford was charged in the Central Criminal Court with murdering Patrick ‘Pa’ O’Connor at Fitzgerald’s Bar on Sexton Street, Limerick, between 7 and 8 July 2018. He pleaded not guilty. The proceedings were reported on 4 September 2020.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said a postmortem she conducted on 9 July 2018 found six stab wounds. She said Mr O’Connor died from haemorrhage or bleeding shock due to wounds to the chest and neck. Under cross-examination, she agreed that the wounds to his heart and neck were fatal and the others were less serious.

Dr Bolster agreed that the fatal wounds were consistent with both men standing and, in re-examination, that their direction made this more likely. She said she could not rule out both men having been seated.

Barman Cyril O’Connor testified that he saw Mr Crawford hit Mr O’Connor while he sat in a chair and only later realised he had been stabbed. Defence counsel Patrick McGrath SC suggested both men had stood up to each other and that Mr Crawford stabbed him because he felt under threat. The witness denied this.

Prosecution counsel John Fitzgerald SC said evidence would be given that Mr Crawford admitted stabbing Mr O’Connor to gardaí but said he acted in self-defence, fearing an attack because he was not from that part of Limerick city. The trial was continuing.