Contempt of court hearing for two Cameron Blair murder witnesses who went to Ayia Napa when due to give evidence in trial, is adjourned until Friday

A contempt of court hearing for two witnesses who went to Ayia Napa when they were due to give evidence in the trial of a teen who committed violent disorder at a house where college student Cameron Blair was murdered, has been adjourned until Friday.

Darragh O'Connor (20), of Deermount, Deerpark, Cork and Craig O'Donoghue (20), of Killala Court, Knocknaheeney, Cork were previously arrested and are expected to face trial for contempt of court. It is the State's belief that the two witnesses left the jurisdiction in order to avoid giving evidence at the trial.

At an out-of-hours sitting of the High Court on July 2, Mr Justice David Keane heard that Mr O'Donoghue had been served with a witness order in May, which required him to give evidence at the juvenile's trial last month. However, Mr O'Donoghue travelled to Ayia Napa at the end of May and was not available to give evidence.

The court heard that the other witness, Mr O'Connor, had appeared before the High Court the previous week. Both witnesses were required to isolate within the prison system for seven days.

The alleged offence of contempt of court is punishable by imprisonment, fine or both.

Today, defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC, for Mr O'Donoghue, told Mr Justice Keane that matters had not progressed since he last addressed him. Mr Grehan said that it was not possible for prison authorities to accommodate a consultation for counsel with the two accused and the defendants had been subjected to a "harsh regime'.

Counsel said that Mr O'Connor, who is represented by defence counsel Michael Bowman SC, had been diagnosed with Covid-19 symptoms and "much to the detriment of our clients" they would not be able to proceed with the hearing today.

Mr Grehan said "if matters took a particular course", which he anticipated that it would, then the sentencing of the 16-year-old defendant who had been on trial should be dealt with in advance of the alleged contempt hearing.

The matter was put in for this Friday to see if matters could progress. The judge made a recommendation that counsel be facilitated by the prison authorities as best as possible.

This afternoon, Mr Grehan rementioned the matter before Mr Justice Keane to advise the court that the prison service had indicated that they could not facilitate consultations until July 27. The judge then made orders that the two alleged contemptors be produced before him on Friday at 10.30am, when any public health issues that arise could be dealt with.

On May 28, a 16-year-old accused who cannot be named because he is a minor, went on trial charged with the production of a knife at a house on Bandon Road in Cork city on January 16, 2020. He had been on trial at the Central Criminal Court, which was sitting in Croke Park, for almost three weeks before the case ended last month.

On June 16, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) discontinued the charge against the teenager and will enter a nolle prosequi against him in due course meaning that the State will not be proceeding with the charge of producing a knife against the juvenile.

The accused, who was 14 at the time of the incident, had pleaded not guilty to producing an article capable of inflicting serious injury in the course of a dispute, to wit a knife, in a manner likely to unlawfully intimidate another person.

Before the State opened its case on May 28, the 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to committing violent disorder with two other persons present together, using or threatening to use unlawful violence, and such conduct taken together would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at Bandon Road in Cork city to fear for his or another person's safety at the said place on the same occasion.

After the defendant's sentence hearing today, Mr Justice Keane remanded him on continuing bail until Friday, when the case will be mentioned in order to finalise a date for sentence.

Cameron was a native of Ballinascarthy in west Cork and a second-year chemical engineering student at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). He died at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on January 16, 2020 after being stabbed in the neck while attending a student party at a house in Cork city. Another juvenile has already pleaded guilty to his murder.