A “kind” man was “terrified” of a teenager he had taken in and who demanded money from him, twice threatened to kill him and said he would “slit his throat”, witnesses have told a Central Criminal Court jury.
Jurors heard how on one occasion 65-year-old Peter Kennedy had said he awoke to find the accused, Brian Ibe, standing over him “threatening to stab him”.
Mr Ibe, of no fixed abode and formerly of Moore Park, Newbridge, Co Kildare, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Mr Kennedy between April 28th and May 12th, 2020 in Newbridge.
He also pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to assault causing harm to Gda Brendan O’Donnell at Newbridge Garda station on or about April 29th, 2020.
Giving evidence via video link on Friday, Rita Swords said she had been friends with Mr Kennedy for more than 30 years and described him as a “good guy” and a “lovely man”.
She said when she started college aged 18, Mr Kennedy would come to her house at 6.30am daily to give her a lift.
Ms Swords said in the months before his death she became aware that Martha Ibe and her son Brian Ibe had moved in with Mr Kennedy. Ms Swords said Mr Kennedy told her Ms Ibe was homeless and had been living in her car outside his house.
She suggested to Mr Kennedy that he get help through the proper channels, but should not get involved himself. She said she felt Martha and Brian Ibe were “taking advantage of his good nature”.
In the run up to Christmas 2019, Ms Swords said she invited Mr Kennedy over for tea and a chat, but when he arrived he was “dishevelled” and “unkempt” when normally he would be “smart”.
Ms Swords said she made food for her friend because he was hungry. “He was just a broken man, he just wasn’t himself,” she said.
She said while Mr Kennedy was sitting with her, Mr Ibe called his phone and demanded Mr Kennedy get him a McDonald’s. She said Mr Kennedy was “panicking” and was “terrified” when this happened.
“I said Peter you’ve got to get help, you’ve got to get him out because this chap was dangerous; he was afraid of him,” Ms Swords said.
Ms Swords said that on another occasion she spoke to Mr Kennedy who told her that Mr Ibe had “threatened” him.
Asked by Paul Carroll SC, prosecuting, what the nature of this threat was, Ms Swords replied: “Money, it was always money.”
“He came into his room, and he wanted €20 off Peter and Peter wouldn’t give it,” she said, adding that when Mr Kennedy refused to hand over the money, Mr Ibe “got aggressive with him”.
Ms Swords said Mr Kennedy had told her he had heard Mr Ibe walking around his bedroom “talking to himself” and “pacing”. She said she was concerned that Mr Ibe had “mental health difficulties” and told her friend to check his room for medication.
She said Mr Kennedy subsequently told her he had gone to the guards to get Mr Ibe out and was changing the locks on his house.
In cross-examination, Ms Swords was asked by Conor Devally SC, defending, if she remembered anything about Mr Ibe “coming and going” to Mr Kennedy’s house.
“I just remember when he was there, he made Peter’s life hell,” she said.
Linda Mannion told David Humphries BL, prosecuting, how she first met Mr Kennedy in 1990 when she first moved to Newbridge and was looking for somewhere to live. She said he would often drive her home to Athy to see her parents and when she got her first car he went guarantor on the loan.
“You felt very safe in Peter’s presence,” she said, going on to describe Mr Kennedy as “kind” and “extremely intelligent”.
He was always concerned with helping you out, helping you to better yourself, she said.
Ms Mannion said that about December 2019 Mr Kennedy told her about instances where Mr Ibe would come into his bedroom and shout at him for money.
“He would just burst into his room when Peter was in his bed asleep,” she said. “He would be woken up by Brian shouting, demanding money off him and Peter would say, ‘I can’t get it for you now, I’m sleeping, but I’ll get it for you in the morning’ and Brian would demand that he get up right then and get him whatever was required,” Ms Mannion said.
She said it seemed to her that this happened more than once.
Damian Molyneaux gave evidence that Mr Kennedy was his best friend. He said Mr Kennedy had told him he was afraid of Mr Ibe and that Mr Ibe said he would kill him.
“He threatened to kill him on two occasions, he said he would slit his throat,” Mr Molyneaux said, adding Mr Kennedy also told him that Mr Ibe had said he would “burn him out”.
He said his friend told him he was frightened in his own home and wanted his house back.
Evidence was also heard on Friday from Chris Pender, a county councillor in Newbridge, who told Mr Carroll he had helped to find emergency accommodation for Mr Ibe.
He said the catalyst for Mr Kennedy wanting Mr Ibe out of the house was one “especially aggressive incident” in which Mr Kennedy said he woke to find Mr Ibe “standing over him, threatening to stab him”.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
