A 41-year-old woman has been found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of discarding a knife that was used in a stabbing that would later result in the victim's death.
Lisa Lee, of Conyngham Road, Dublin had denied that on March 29th, 2021 at Spring Garden Lane in Dublin, knowing or believing that Noel Lennon had caused serious harm to Isaac Horgan, she discarded the knife used by Lennon.
She was initially tried on the basis that she discarded the knife knowing or believing that Lennon had killed the deceased, but the charge was changed during the trial when it was established that Mr Horgan died after Lee had disposed of the knife.
Lennon (48), of Alexandra Court, Dundrum, Dublin, was initially charged with the murder of Mr Horgan, who was 52 at the time of his death, at Markievicz House, Townsend Street, Dublin 2, on March 29th, 2021.
However, when his trial was listed at the Central Criminal Court last month, Lennon pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. The plea was accepted by the State and Lennon is to be sentenced in January.
Construction site
Opening the case for the State last week, Shane Costelloe SC told the jury they would hear Ms Lee had discarded a knife over a piece of construction hoarding at a building site.
He said the prosecution’s case was that Lee threw the knife away and did this in an effort to help Lennon evade being prosecuted.
Mr Costelloe told them that Isaac Horgan lived in a studio flat in Markievicz House and on the morning of March 29th he went out to get his dole and then went to the shop to buy a couple of items before going home.
Counsel said the State’s case was that very shortly thereafter Lee, in the company of Lennon, went to Isaac Horgan’s flat and while there Mr Lennon stabbed Mr Horgan in the leg, hit an artery and the deceased bled to death in his apartment.
Following the verdict Mr Justice Tony Hunt thanked the jury and agreed to allow Lee to remain on bail ahead of a sentencing hearing in January.
Mr Justice Hunt said that Lee's behaviour appears to be "chaos rather than intentional" and while she had repeatedly shown up late, she always did show up for her trial.
He said if she engages in "any more messing that will be the end of it" and he warned: "I don't want to hear about anything, people being accosted for any reason in the street or whatever."
The judge said her previous convictions were "entirely consistent with addiction problems".
He imposed a curfew on her from 7pm to 7am and she must also sign on daily at a garda station. The judge ordered a probation report and said he would consider her behaviour from now until the sentencing hearing when he delivers his judgment.
