Croatian man's status as foreigner 'relevant' to his alleged Dublin murder, barrister says
Eoin Reynolds
Three men accused of "brutally and savagely" beating a Croatian man to death on a Dublin street knew that their alleged victim was a foreign national when they chased him down, a barrister has told a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC told the murder trial jury that 31-year-old Josip Strok's status as a foreign national has relevance in the case of the three men accused of his murder.
Counsel said that one of the accused, Mark Lee (44), told gardaí two days after the alleged assault that he had been walking "up and down with two dogs" outside an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre "waiting on [a] foreign c**t attacking a kid with a knife".
Mr Ó Dúnlaing said the prosecution believes this comment is relevant to what the jury must consider.
It is further alleged that Mr Lee sent a voice note to a friend hours after the assault, stating: "Pal, be there in 20 minutes. Just smashed Polish lads up and left them for dead because they beat [a] kid."
The trial also heard on Tuesday morning that Mr Strok was targeted after he was alleged to have assaulted a 17-year-old boy at a bus stop following a row over a cigarette lighter.
Mark Lee, of no fixed abode and Anthony Delappe (19) of Melrose Avenue, Clondalkin have both pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Josip Strok at Grangeview Way in Clondalkin on April 3rd, 2024.
Connor Rafferty (21) of Castlegrange Close, Clondalkin has pleaded not guilty to Mr Strok's murder. All three have pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Mr Strok's friend, David Druzinec (29), at the same location.
It is alleged that the three accused assaulted Mr Druzinec and Mr Strok on March 30th, 2024, and that Mr Strok died four days later from blunt force injuries sustained in the attack.
'Brutally and savagely attacked'
Opening the trial on Tuesday morning, Mr Ó Dúnlaing told the jury of six men and six women that the prosecution intends to prove that the three accused were part of a joint enterprise to cause serious harm to Mr Strok when they "brutally and savagely attacked" him.
On the afternoon of March 30th, 2024, Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec were drinking heavily, counsel said. That evening they made their way to Clondalkin Village where they waited for a bus to take them close to where Mr Druzinec lived in the Grangeview estate.
At the bus stop, Mr Ó Dúnlaing said the two Croatian men had an altercation with a 17-year-old boy who was assaulted following a row over a cigarette lighter.
The 17-year-old told three other youths what had happened and they got on the bus with Mr Strok and Mr Druzinec.
When the bus stopped, the two Croatians and the three youths got off without interacting with one another. Two of the youths, counsel said, met the accused man Mark Lee.
Mr Ó Dúnlaing said it is the prosecution case that the boys told Mr Lee that a young person had been assaulted over a lighter.
Mr Lee immediately went into his house and emerged 47 to 50 seconds later with Mr Rafferty and Mr Delappe, counsel said. Mr Delappe, he said, had an implement in his hand.
They chased the two Croatian men and assaulted them, Mr Ó Dúnlaing said. Mr Ó Dúnlaing told the jury that a joint enterprise can be formed in an instant and "something happened in that house that caused these three to emerge".
Mr Ó Dúnlaing said audio recording from a CCTV system nearby did not reveal any reference to a "non-national or foreigner", but he said the voice note left by Mr Lee on a friend's phone later that night is relevant.
"The prosecution says that they [the accused] knew they [the injured parties] were foreign nationals and that has relevance in this case."
He said comments made by Mr Lee to gardaí about walking up and down outside an IPAS centre with two dogs are also relevant.
The trial continues before Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring and the jury.
