A STUDENT ACCUSED of the murder of his friend Leo Carolan, who was stabbed at his flat in Dublin, has been further charged with attempted murder of another man and robbing him of €14,000.
Gardaí launched a murder investigation after Carolan, a 25-year-old DJ from Dun Laoghaire, was stabbed to death on 4 October at his home on the South Circular Road.
Carolan was a second year student at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, where he had been studying creative music technology. He was living in his apartment at South Circular Road for some time after returning from France where he he had studied Anthropology at Universite Lumiere in Lyon.
A second man, Swiss national Ludovic Thomas, was found injured on the road outside and was rushed to hospital with serious knife wounds.
Student Charles Cleary, 23, who is currently of no fixed abode but from the Rathfarnham area in south Dublin, was arrested on 8 October and held at Kevin Street Garda Station.
He was then charged with murdering Carolan and with assault causing harm to Thomas. He was remanded in custody following a court appearance on 10 October last.
His sixth hearing was held at Cloverhill District Court today. He appeared via video link and Judge Victor Blake heard that two additional charges were brought against Cleary: attempted murder of Thomas and theft of €14,000 from him on 4 October last.
Psychiatric assessments
Detective Sergeant Adrian Whitelaw told Judge Blake the accused had no response when the fresh charges were put to him this morning. The court also heard the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed Cleary is to face trial on indictment.
The State has not yet completed the book of evidence which needs to be served on the defendant before he is returned for trial.
Judge Blake remanded Cleary in custody to appear again in one week. He acceded to a request from defence solicitor Tracy Horan to grant legal aid. The defendant has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
The district court cannot grant bail in murder cases meaning he will have to make an application to the High Court to get released pending trial.
At his first hearing in October, Whitelaw had said: “I cautioned him and in reply he had nothing to say.” Psychiatric assessments of him were also ordered.
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