This article is from page 16 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
ANTHONY Kelly felt “possessed” When he hit Liam Moloney to the head with an axe, then dragged his body out of the car, before cutting his throat from side to side.
The thought of killing his victim had entered his mind several times and as the two travelled from Ennis to Ruan, a feeling of “rage” came over him and voices told him “do it, elon ia
The trial was told that Mr Kelly
had owed Mr Moloney about €150 at the time.
Mr Moloney’s taxi was seen parked at the entrance to Port House, an un- occupied building, at around 8pm on the evening of February 11, 2005.
According to the prosecution, Mr Kelly opened the gates after he killed Mr Moloney and dragged the body 15 to 20 yards inside.
‘The pockets of the deceased had been turned out,’ said prosecution barrister Tom O’Connell SC.
Less than an hour later, Mr Kelly
entered Mr Moloney’s apartment on Barrack Street, Ennis, where he stole money. He later picked up a 14-year- old boy in Shannon, on arrangement with the boy’s mother, and drove to Waterville.
The following morning, the boy saw the accused throwing clothes he had been wearing the previous evening into a fire in the back garden of his house. That day, he threw the head of a hatchet and other items in the direction of a lake in Kerry.
‘He was purposefully seeking to
cover his tracks and dispose of things which might connect him with the killing,” said Mr O’Connell.
Initially, Mr Kelly denied any knowledge of the killing. He later ad- mitted involvement. He said he had been depressed and angry in the run- up to the incident. “I had been down in my house in Waterville and had nightmares for months,” he said.
He said that Liam Moloney had “pissed” him off and used to ring him, telling him sick jokes.
On the night in question, Mr Kelly
was carrying a knife and a small axe. In Ruan, he got in and out of the taxi a few times and Mr Moloney asked him what he was “up to”.
He reached into his bag and had his hand on the axe. He felt a burn- ing sensation and something said to him, “do it, do it”, and he struck him a number of times to the head.
“| felt like I was possessed. I used a knife to cut his throat and said *F*** You’. It was only when I was driving back to Kerry that there was pain in my heart,” he said.