Brothers 'meant to hurt not kill' uncle

Gerard Gaskin, 30, and his 22-year-old brother Daniel, both from Gortnamona Way in Belfast, deny murdering 55-year-old Seamus Holland.

A tape recording of an interview cops had with Gerard Gaskin was played to the Belfast Crown Court jury on Monday.

In he admitted taking an iron bar with him when he and his younger brother Daniel went to the Upton Court home of their uncle in the early hours of 21 November 2010.

Gerard Gaskin claimed the brothers "went down there to hurt him because of what he did to our mother" but maintained that his death was not something they intended.

However Gerard Gaskin told police: "If I wanted to murder him I would've took a knife with me and stuck it in him.

"I went down there to hurt him, only to hurt him, not to kill him - I'm not a murderer."

The jury have already heard the Gaskin brothers decided to "beat him up" in revenge for an alleged incident involving Mr Holland and their mother.

The three men and nine women have also heard how the murder victim had 85 injuries, or sites of injuries on his body, including fractured ribs, arms, nose and leg, a shattered shoulder blade, as well as a knife wound and a dozen deep puncture type injuries which could have been caused "by a nail".

Assistant State Pathologist for Northern Ireland Dr James Lyness said that Mr Holland had sustained multiple injuries which could have been caused by a combination of kicking, stomping or punching or blows from a blunt object such as a rod-like weapon.

He died in hospital later that day and the jury have heard that although an ambulance arrived at his home just before 6am, it took an hour for him to arrive at the A&E department of the RVH and a further 22 minutes before his case was "handed over" to medical staff there.

The Crown case is that his death was brought about as a direct result of the attack he suffered but the defence contend that he would have survived if he had been treated sooner.

The jury also heard Gerard Gaskin describe how there was "pushing" in the kitchen before he hit Mr Holland on the leg with the bar and that he was beaten when he was on the floor.

However in later interviews it was heard that the elder Gaskin refused to answer police questions, answering "no comment" to questions and suggestions put to him.

The trial continues.