Edward Meenan murder trial: accused gives knife evidence

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 both charges.

On Wednesday, Walters told the jury that, in the early hours of November 25, 2018, while he was in a house at Creggan Street in the city, he saw ‘out of the corner of my eye, two men standing at the door wearing balaclavas.’

The defendant said he panicked as he ‘had never seen anything like that before.’

When he was asked what he thought was happening, he replied: ‘Derry is full of paramilitaries - that was the first thing came to my mind.’

Walters said the defendant Rodgers ‘launched himself at the back door’ followed by Cresswell who, he said, ‘grabbed a bat out of a bag at the back door.’

The jury heard that Walters and Cresswell ‘engaged’ William McConnell while Rodgers engaged Edward Meenan.

Walters said Cresswell hit William McConnell several times with the bat before the injured man made off.

The jury was told that Cresswell then joined Rodgers in assaulting Mr Meenan and that the two were ‘punching, kicking and stamping’ on the man.

The witness claimed Cresswell used the bat to beat Mr Meenan about the knees and that, at one point, Sean Rodgers asked himself or Cresswell to get him a knife.

Walters said he was ‘frightened’ of Rodgers and had tried to intervene but had not been able to stop the attack.

The jury heard that Walters ‘didn’t want to get on the wrong side” of Rodgers.

The trial continues.