Tattoo artist charged with murder with sword said he only ever meant to 'scare' him

Olivia Kelleher

A tattoo artist charged with the murder of a 33-year-old man who suffered partial amputation of his left leg and extremely rapid blood loss when he was struck with a sword has said that he only ever intended to “scare” him.

Chef and father of two Ian Baitson died at Cork University Hospital on March 19th, 2024. He was attacked four days earlier at the Eurospar car park close to his home in Cobh, Co Cork.

Dylan Scannell (31) is on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork charged with the murder of Mr Baitson. He admits manslaughter but denies murder.

On Tuesday, Mr Scannell of O’Rahilly Street in Cobh gave evidence in the case. He said that he was “sorry” for what had occurred.

“I knew Ian since we were teenagers. We were friends.”

Mr Scannell said that he became a drug addict in his early teens. He claimed that a month before the incident he was taken to Cork University Hospital after he suffered a fall from a roof. He claimed that he had signed himself out of hospital even though medics were concerned about possible brain injuries.

Mr Scannell said that he had loaned Mr Baitson money to pay off a drug debt and that he also owed him for drugs he had sold to him.

The father of two said that Ian Baitson had come to him as he “owed a man a few quid".

However, he said he was also experiencing difficulties arising out monies he owed to a third party. Mr Scannell said that the lives of him and his loved ones were “in danger” because of a debt he owed.

Evidence

He also said in direct evidence that he received the sword at the centre of the case as a gift from a client when he had a tattoo shop which subsequently closed.

Mr Scannell said that he took the sword to the Eurospar car park on March 15th, 2024 when he was meeting Ian Baitson before he was “paranoid” about a text Mr Baitson had sent him about men in Coolock. He insisted that he brought the sword to the car park for “protection” and never intended to harm Ian Baitson.

“I just wanted to scare him. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I didn’t think that by hitting him in the leg I would cause him any damage. I want to say I’m sorry. I would do anything to take it back.”

Mr Scannell was cross examined by Donal O’Sullivan, SC, for the Prosecution. Mr O’Sullivan put it to Mr Scannell that the late Ian Baitson had €185 in his pocket for him when they met in the car park. He said that Mr Scannell failed to take the money from him and instead attacked him with a "savage looking sword".

Text

Mr O’Sullivan asked Mr Scannell what he meant when he sent Mr Baitson a text where he stated he was going “smash” him. The accused said he didn’t know.

Mr O’Sullivan read out a text message which Mr Scannell sent to Mr Baitson in which made threats of a sexual nature.

Mr Scannell said that he was a drug addict at the time and “that (the contents of the message) is not me".

The prosecuting counsel said that Mr Scannell had also typed out a message to Mr Baitson in which he spoke of chopping off his fingers. He asked if this meant that Mr Scannell planned to hurt Mr Baitson. He replied: “No.”

Mr O’Sullivan said that Dylan Scannell insisted that he was “sorry".

“You are sorry. But only for yourself.”

In the period before his death Mr Baitson maintained via texts that he owed Scannell “less than €500". However, Mr Scannell insisted in the texts that he sent to Baitson that he owed him €2,500.

The trial previously heard evidence from Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster. She said that Mr Baitson died of haemorrhage and shock complicated by brain damage due to lack of blood supply from an injury caused by a sharp force. She told the jury of six men and six women that Mr Baitson "would have bled very rapidly and very profusely".

She said that Mr Baitson was struck from behind the left knee with a sword which cut through muscle, artery and bone. She stated that the blow caused a fracture to the knee bone and sliced through the two bones below the knee — the tibia and fibula.

Dr Bolster added that the deceased was “previously healthy".

“He (Mr Baitson) was running road races up to his death. He was a habitual cannabis user. He had given up alcohol in the six months prior to his death.”

Evidence was also previously given by Helen Goggin, the mother of the deceased, that Ian had told her he would be back home in a matter of minutes on the evening of March 15th, 2024.

At about 8.40pm that day he told her he was going to Eurospar. Twenty minutes later Ms Goggin heard sirens. She was told her son was en route to hospital.

She said that four days later they had to turn off the machine at the hospital and her son Ian was declared dead. The case continues.