A MAN ACCUSED of attempted murder, who twice stabbed his partner of 18 years after chasing her with three different knives, told gardaí that he never had any intention of hurting her, a trial has heard.

The defendant said he had “no idea” why he stabbed the alleged victim twice in the leg and that the incident was “still all a blur” to him.

Cristal O’Brien has told the court how her ex-partner threatened to stab her “to pieces” and broke two knives in attacking her before going to retrieve a third, in what she described as a “terrifying” attack. Her neighbour Alice McGrath gave evidence that the accused man said he was going to kill his former partner and that he didn’t care “if he did time”.

The Central Criminal Court trial was briefly interrupted yesterday when the accused man, Philip Cox, was heard calling Ms O’Brien “a lying c**t” whilst she was giving evidence to the jury.

Philip Cox (39), who is originally from Tallaght in Dublin but has an address at York Street Flats in Dublin 2, has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of his former partner, Cristal O’Brien, at the flat complex on 1 December, 2022.

Giving evidence today, Detective Garda Chris Fitzgerald told prosecution counsel, Tim O’Leary SC, that gardaí had approached Mr Cox at the scene and that both the accused and Ms O’Brien received medical attention before being brought to hospital in separate ambulances.

Det Gda Fitzgerald said Mr Cox had a cut to the top of his hand, which he received after breaking into Ms McGrath’s flat at York Street and smashing the window on the door. He said Ms O’Brien had been stabbed twice in the leg. 

Mr Cox was arrested for the offence of production of an article in the course of a dispute when he was discharged from the Mater Hospital. 

At the outset of the first interview on 1 December, Mr Cox told gardai that he had a few drinks in a local pub on the night and returned to the flat at York Street where he had a drink with Ms O’Brien. 

The accused said the next thing he remembered was them getting into an argument, Ms O’Brien at their front door and the gardai coming into the flat. 

The defendant said he and Ms O’Brien had broken up five months previously, having been together for 18-and-a-half-years.

Asked why they broke up, Mr Cox said Ms O’Brien told him that she didn’t love him anymore. He said some of their arguments could be “heated but some could be not”. He said he thought things were “grand” with Ms O’Brien and that the break up had come as “a shock” to him. 

He added: “She said we were living separate lives, she was in the pub most nights and I stayed at home and did the cooking and the cleaning, she would come in and wouldn’t even eat her dinner”.

He said “things were awkward” between them for the last six months and it was “weird” for him. 

When asked whether he still loved his ex-partner, Mr Cox replied “yes” and had always told her that he would get back with her if he could. “We still text all the time,” he added.

He said he hadn’t noticed that his hand was “pumping” with blood until he got into the garda van. “I feel like shite, I don’t even know why I stabbed Cristal or anything, I’m not feeling good at all,” he continued. 

When gardaí put part of Ms O’Brien’s statement to him and asked whether she was telling the truth, the accused replied: “I think so yeah, no idea what happened, that stuff, f**k me”.

Detectives also asked the defendant whether Ms O’Brien had any reason to lie and the accused said he didn’t think so.

Asked whether he disputed stabbing his ex-partner, the accused said “no”. He was also asked if he knew why he had stabbed Ms O’Brien and he replied that he had “no idea”.

“Were you trying to kill her?” asked the gardaí. “I don’t know, I don’t remember, I never had any intent of hurting Cristal ever,” replied Mr Cox. He accepted that he had produced a knife. 

In his second interview, gardaí again read from Ms O’Brien’s statement where she said that the accused had started “booting” in her neighbour’s door and came straight for her.

Ms O’Brien also said that she had “kicked up and swung” her legs trying to stop her ex-partner from stabbing her but that he had “got” her and “stabbed” her twice in the leg area. 

Gardai asked the accused whether he had anything to say to this and the accused replied that it was “still all a blur to me”. 

Asked whether he accepted what Ms O’Brien had said happened, the accused said: “Well if she said, I can’t remember, I believe what she said, if she said that is what happened and Alice said that’s what happened, that’s what happened”.

He said he was shocked and ashamed by his actions the previous night. 

He repeated that he was “going to have to” accept what Ms O’Brien and her neighbour said happened that night as he could not remember. 

“You know Cristal and Alice years, do you think they’d lie about something like this?” asked gardaí. “No I don’t think so,” he said.

Gardai told the accused that he had stabbed his ex-partner twice but had tried to stab her more times. The accused said he didn’t remember. “Nothing will ever make up for this,” he added.

He said he felt “100 percent shame” and was disgusted by his actions.

He also said he didn’t know why he “did it’.

Under cross-examination, Det Gda Fitzgerald agreed with Eoghan Cole SC, defending, that the accused was charged with certain offences when his detention came to an end but that he was not charged with the attempted murder of his ex-partner until May 2, 2023. The garda said Mr Cox had no previous convictions. 

In his opening address, Mr O’Leary told the jury that they were only deciding on one count of attempted murder but that Mr Cox had already pleaded guilty to assault causing harm, aggravated burglary and to the production of a knife during the course of a dispute at the same date and location.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women, when it is expected that closing speeches will take place.