Derry murder accused told police he knew deceased and ‘liked him’

Sean Rodgers (34), of no fixed abode, and Ryan Walters (22), with an address in Crossgar, are charged with the murder of Edward Meenan on November 25, 2018.

They are also charged with assaulting William McConnell on the same date.

A third man, Derek Creswell (29), of King’s Lane in Ballykelly, has already pleaded guilty to the murder charge.

At Friday’s hearing, a police officer gave details of a series of 16 interviews which took place with Sean Rodgers in the days following the murder.

For the bulk of the interviews, Rodgers made no comment but, when asked did he know the dead man, Rodgers said: ‘I knew that man well. He was good. I liked him.’

On another occasion when asked why he was making no comment, he replied: ‘Because I had nothing to do with it.’

The police officer was then cross examined by Brian McCartney QC, for Rodgers, who asked him about interviews with the other accused, Walters.

The officer agreed that police believed Walters told around 50 lies during his interviews and had also denied knowing Sean Rodgers.

Mr McCartney asked the officer did ‘things begin to tumble’ when Walters was confronted with forensic evidence and this was agreed.

The barrister said that, after ‘four days of carefully crafted alibis’, Walters began to change his story but was “light” in respect of details.

He suggested to the officer that Walters ‘didn’t see who stabbed him, he didn’t see who went and got the knife.’.

Mr McCartney said that Walters ‘really wanted to get any advantage.’

Earlier, the statement of a doctor at Altnagelvin Hospital who treated William McConnell was read out and in it she said the injured man had three lacerations - one measuring 5cm, one measuring 4cm and one of 3cm.

The prosecution case is now finished and the defence case will begin on Monday.

The trial continues.