A CHEF HAS been found guilty of the murder of a father of three who was found dismembered and headless on the grounds of a derelict house in Cork on 28 December, 2019 by a man who was out looking for his missing cat.

Ionut Cosmin Nicholescu (30) who is a native of Romania but was living in Cork had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Frankie Dunne.

Dunne was found dead on the grounds of Castlegreine House in Cork on 28 December, 2019. 

A jury of eight women and four men at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork reached a unanimous guilty verdict after deliberating for seven hours and 52 minutes.

Justice Paul McDermott thanked the jurors for their service in the trial which got underway on March 13th. He said that the jury had listened to evidence that was at times “traumatic in nature.”

The trial heard that Frankie Dunne (64) spent what was to be his last Christmas day with his family on the northside of Cork city before he was found dead three days later in the garden of the period house on Boreenmanna Road in Cork.  

The body of Dunne was found by local man Joseph Pierce who had gone in to the garden of the period house looking for his missing cat “Mouse.”

Pierce looked under a bush and spotted a body. He raised the alarm. When gardai arrived at the scene he said that he might have been mistaken and that what he had seen could have been a mannequin or holy statue.However, it was the body of a man. 

Gardai subsequently found the head of the deceased in a refuse bag in the garden of the period house whilst the arms of the late Dunne were “draped over a branch on a tree.”

The two storey period house, which dates back to the early 1890’s was empty, as its owner had gone in to a nursing home. 

Jurors were told that Dunne was living in a support unit for persons living with addiction.  Dunne had a chronic dependence on alcohol. He was known to have a few drinks in the garden of Castlegreine House as it was near the Cork Simon run unit where he was staying.

Nicholescu, who is from Branistea Village in Dambovita County, Romania was squatting in Castlegreine House. 

The jury also heard evidence from State Pathologist Dr Heiki Okkers. She said that a postmortem indicated that Dunne had his head and arms removed after he was murdered with the killer making a few incisions before the actual cuts were made.

Dr Okkers said “blood was not flowing when the head was cut off.” She said this showed that Dunne was dead before his head was cut off. No vital reactions were recorded at the amputation sites. Dr Okkers said this also meant that Dunne had already passed away when his arms were amputated. 

A postmortem revealed that Dunne had glass shards embedded in his skull and died of neck compression associated with blunt force trauma to his head and face. The trial heard that he had 16 specific injuries to his head and neck. All of his injuries were consistent with an assault. 

Dr Okkers said that the defensive wounds sustained by Dunne possibly suggested that he was “first struck by a blunt object and then a neck compression occurred.” She noted that Dunne had petechial haemorrhages in his eyes which is a sign of strangulation. Fragments of glass were found on his clothes. 

Dr Okkers said that Dunne had sustained injuries to amongst other regions his chest, abdomen, ribs, sternum, head, arms, and back. A large number of scratches, bruises, abrasions and lacerations were recorded on the face of the deceased. 

In the aftermath of the murder of Dunne gardai carried out a search of the main attic and the small attic in the Silver Key restaurant where Ionut Nicholescu was employed. Items of clothing were found in the small attic. The owner of the establishment Tony Campion said that he was not aware that anyone had ever stayed in the attic. 

Gardai had determined that Nicholescu had gone back to his native country in the aftermath of the murder having reported for work at the Silver Key restaurant and pub the day after the body of Dunne was discovered. On 30 December, 2019 he boarded a bus to Belfast and then took flights to Edinburgh and onwards to Bucharest. 

Nicholescu did not give any evidence in his case. However, he had told Romanian police who interviewed him in Bucharest that he had no involvement in the murder. 

He claimed he was instead forced to bag the remains of Dunne when he stumbled across two men on the grounds of Castlegreine House who had carried out the murder. 

He said that the two men had been armed with a machete and a knife. He said he had left work at the Silver Key on 27 December, 2019 and was on the grounds of Castlegreine House when he heard movement behind him. Nicholescu stated that he turned to see a big man with a sword or machete.

“I was startled and fearful. I dropped the milk carton from my hand. He said shut the f*** up – behave or you will get it… He walked behind me. I saw another man… And there was another man lying down on the ground. I did not know if he was dead. He was not moving.

The man with the red beard was on top of the body cutting off his throat with the knife… He told me to put the head in the bag. I felt disgusted. I grabbed the head and put it in the bag. I put it in the bushes. I was trembling with fear.

“(One of the two men) had cut off the body’s hands from the shoulders. It was a very sharp knife blade. The knife used to cut up the body looked like a hunting knife… I remember taking each of the body’s arms which were still warm in my hands… I threw the arms in the bushes. The idea (of the two men) was to put the body in the bag but it was too big.

“(One of the men) said I should drag the body into the bushes… I grabbed him by the ankles and pulled it into the bushes. The guy threatened me and ordered me… I was covered in blood on my clothes and my hands.”

However, Ray Boland, SC for the Prosecution, in his closing speech to the jury said that whilst Nicholescu was undoubtedly a clever man his description of the two “phantom” men was “comically evil” and “straight out of central casting.”

“One is tall and one is small. One is large and one is light. One has a machete and one has a knife.”

 Philipp Rahn, SC for the defence, had said that there was a clear lack of “any reason or motive” for the murder. There was no history or animosity between the two men.

Rahn also said that there was “a very significant forensic problem” relating to an unidentified fingerprint on a bag containing the clothes of the deceased. 

“You have lots and lots of material out of the garda investigation but you cannot be satisfied that there are no relevant questions unanswered. There has to be a reasonable doubt.”

Meanwhile, the trial also heard that Frankie Dunne was a “character” who could have been “anybody’s father, brother or uncle.”

Mary O’Driscoll, a key support worker at Clanmornin House, said that Frankie was one of the “easiest people” to deal with at the facility. 

Another staff member at the unit where Frankie was staying described him as having  “got on with everyone.”

The native of Churchfield Avenue in the northside of Cork city had lived in the dry house for six months prior to his death. Don Bulman said that he last saw Frankie Dunne on the evening of 27 December, 2019. He recalled that Frankie was a little sad because the anniversary of his father had occurred over Christmas. 

“He (Frankie) had a great connection with his family. He loved music. (The last time I saw him) we spoke about his family and the anniversary. He planned to go see his family the day after. His nephew was on the phone to him a lot. Frankie was one of the better ones (service users) He got on with everyone.”

At his funeral mass at St Mary’s on the Hill church, in Knocknaheeny in Cork, Dunne’s nieces Breda and Yvonne said that the family would forever cherish their memories of seeing Frankie on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. 

It was a simple family Christmas with Frankie joining in the festivities and watching “Mr Bean” on television.

 Breda told mourners Frankie was a “character” who touched the lives of all he met. He loved horse racing, fixing broken phones and second hand shops. He was never happier than when he had found bargains for his loved ones. 

Breda said her “uncle, god father and good friend” was noted for his wit. 

“He used go give visit Nanny Dunne’s grave in Blackrock (in Cork) but in true Frankie style he would go visit her at midnight. I said “why do you visit her at midnight? And he said ‘all the other people in their graves will be asleep. And I can chat to my mum by myself.’

“He always made me laugh with his sense of humour. We miss you so much Uncle Frankie. He was so gentle and Kind.”

She added that whilst Our Lord was noted for changing water in to wine her uncle did the opposite when he visited but he was such a “professional” that the the bottle would look untouched.

He fought his demons but was never anything other than kindness mourners were told. 

Members of the Dunne family were present in court when the jury returned their verdict. They were visibly moved when the foreman said that the jury had found Nicholescu guilty of murder. 

Victim impact statement 

A victim impact statement from the Dunne family was read in to the record. Two members of the family had framed photographs of their loved one in their hands as the statement was read out on their behalf by Margaret Lucey of Support after Homicide.

The family said that Frankie Dunne was a loving father, grandfather, uncle and friend. They expressed their heartfelt thanks to Joseph Pierce.

Pierce found the body of the murder victim under a bush at a derelict house on Boreenmanna Road in Cork on 28 December, 2019 when he was out looking for his missing cat. 

The family said that only for Pierce they could still be at a loss as to what happened to Frankie. 

The Dunne family said that Frankie had “unfortunately succumbed to a life of alcohol.” However, they insisted that he had “never lost the love and support of his family.” 

They stressed that they would “forever be haunted” by how their loved one had died. 

“Some of the family have an awful fear of knives (since the murder). It has affected our sleep and our wellbeing. It is difficult to function normally.”

The loved ones of the deceased said that Frankie was “mutilated and left abandoned.” The trial had heard that Nicholescu make a joke to a co worker about the circumstances surrounding the death of the father of three.  He said “Imagine….if the cat ripped off the head.”

The family added that the ‘humour’ used by the offender was “insulting, disturbing and sickening.”

Meanwhile, Dt Sgt Katrine Tansley said in evidence that Nicholescu was without previous convictions. He fled the jurisdiction after the murder and was brought back to the country in September 2021 on foot of a European arrest warrant. She told the court that Nicholescu had found himself homeless after a break up of a long term relationship.

Sentencing in the case will be finalised on 28 April next at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork.