VINCENT PARSONS, WHO was allegedly beaten to death outside a pub after he became drunk and “messy” at a stag do, was never aggressive and didn’t have a “bad bone in his body”, the deceased’s brother told the Central Criminal Court today.

Daniel Parsons told prosecution counsel Lorcan Staines SC that he was with his brother and other friends and family in the Killinarden Inn in Tallaght at a stag do for Thomas Brown, who was to marry their sister.

Daniel arrived between 8.30pm and 9pm and found the rest of the stag goers drinking pints, “having a laugh and a drink” having spent the day watching football on the television. At some point he saw a red-headed man he knew to be a bouncer from another pub “in Vinny’s face having an argument”.

Daniel told the man that he knew who he was and the bouncer said: “You and your brother would want to leave the pub.” The witness said he replied: “Leave it out, he’s drunk. He’s not going to cause any bother.” The bouncer is not one of the two men accused of murdering Parsons.

Daniel called a friend at about 10.55pm to come and collect them but when he looked around the pub he couldn’t find Vincent. He said: “I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. He had been like this before. He can be a messy drunk.”

Daniel left at 11.10pm and went home but found out later that Vincent was in hospital. He said: “Vincent would never start a fight with anyone. He could be a messy drunk but was never aggressive. There’s not a bad bone in his body.”

Sean Carlyle (30), with an address at Donomore Avenue, Tallaght and Philip Disney (27) of Donomore Crescent, Tallaght, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Vincent Parsons (34) at Killinarden Way, Tallaght on 26 August 2019.

The prosecution alleges that Disney was irritated and agitated after speaking to Vincent Parsons in the pub and that he and Carlyle, as part of a joint enterprise or common design, murdered him by beating him to death at a green area near the pub.

Alan Callaghan told Staines that he is a cousin of the deceased and was also at the stag do. He said everyone was “getting on fine and having a laugh” but at some point he saw Vincent “having words with some guy”.

Callaghan said he thought it was “nothing major” and he told the man to “leave it out, that there were a few drinks on board.” He said the other man, who he described as tattooed and “fairly muscly”, replied, “yeah, cool, no bother”.

When Callaghan turned around Vincent was gone. He went looking for him but left the pub without having found him. He tried ringing his phone and after two or three times someone answered and told him to come to a field but Callaghan didn’t know what field he was referring to and couldn’t find him.

Callaghan found out later that night that Vincent was in hospital. He said the deceased “wouldn’t start a fight with anyone and is not aggressive in any way.”

Callaghan then viewed CCTV footage from the night and identified himself and the deceased. At 10.48, he said the footage shows him “ushering a fella away from Vinny”.

He added: “He was having words with Vinno and I just said, leave it out.” He said the man, who was wearing a white t-shirt, then went back to a raised area of the pub and Callaghan thought that the incident had finished at that point. “It was just a few words,” he said.

The trial continues tomorrow in front of Mr Justice Kerida Naidoo and a jury of six men and six women.