Man stabbed 28 times before escaping from boot of car pushed into canal at Slane, attempted murder trial hears

A man was stabbed 28 times before he escaped from the boot of a car that was pushed into a canal near the Battle of the Boyne site, an attempted murder trial has heard. 

Paul Crosby (23) of Rathmullen Park in Drogheda is charged with attempting to murder Gerard Boyle at Knockcommon, Beauparc, Slane, Co Meath on November 10, 2016. 

Mr Crosby is also charged with falsely imprisoning and intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Mr Boyle on the same occasion. 

Arraigned before a jury at the Central Criminal Court today (Thursday), Mr Crosby pleaded not guilty to all counts. 

Opening the prosecution’s case, Patrick Gageby SC told the jury that Gerard Boyle lived in the suburbs of Drogheda and sometime in March 2016, the windows of his home were broken. 

Some seven months later, on the date in question, Mr Gageby said the accused arrived at Mr Boyle’s home, asking him to go for a “chat”. They got into a Ford car, in which there were two other people, before there was a change of car near the Mary McAleese Boyne Valley Bridge.

Mr Gageby said three people - Mr Crosby, Mr Boyle and another person - got into a Volkswagen Passat. Mr Crosby was initially driving but then he asked Mr Boyle to take over. 

“Untoward events happened out in the countryside,” Mr Gageby said. As Mr Boyle was driving - Mr Crosby was allegedly sitting behind him - Mr Boyle “felt a pinch around his left shoulder and neck”.

It is alleged that this was Mr Crosby “stabbing Mr Boyle” with his left hand, Mr Gageby said, and it caused Mr Boyle to stop driving. 

Mr Boyle was brought out of the car and told he would be taken to hospital, counsel said. He was put into the boot of the car by the two people and the car was driven off. 

Mr Gageby said Mr Boyle wasn’t brought to hospital, however, because the car stopped and appears to have been pushed into the Boyne Canal. 

He said Mr Boyle was fortunate. The canal wasn’t the deepest in the area and he managed to escape by kicking down the backseat of the VW Passat. 

He said Mr Boyle “waded or swam” to the bank, near to where the Battle of the Boyne took place, and made his distress known. Emergency services were called and he was taken to hospital where it was determined that he had sustained 28 stab wounds and was suffering from a bleed into his chest. 

Mr Gageby told the jury they would be satisfied Mr Boyle was stabbed. "Whoever did the stabbing did so with the intention, at a minimum, of doing serious harm and in all probability of committing murder".

He said Mr Boyle was the prosecution's main witness and "fundamentally the case hinges on him".

Counsel for Mr Crosby, Brendan Grehan SC, said the fact that Mr Boyle suffered injuries would not be an issue in the case. "What will be disputed is Mr Boyle's assertion that Mr Crosby was responsible".

The trial continues this afternoon before Ms Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury of nine men and three women.