Michael Maughan pleads not guilty to Ennis murder

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

Michael Maughan pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Piotr Nowakowski. He also pleaded not guilty to assaulting Declan O’Dea. The proceedings were reported on 29 October 2014.

Both charges concerned events at Sandfield Mews, Ennis, on 23 July 2013. The report said the Central Criminal Court had been told the previous week that the manslaughter plea was not acceptable to the prosecution, and a jury was sworn in for the murder trial.

On 28 October 2014, memos of garda interviews with Maughan during his detention were read to the jury. He told gardaí that he stabbed Nowakowski twice and later kicked him in the head after paramedics arrived. He also said he did not mean to kill him and thought Nowakowski was just drunk when he kicked him in the head. He described being angry because the men inside had not opened the door for him and said he had no control.

The murder trial continued before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of seven men and five women.