Man Gets Five Years For Samurai Sword Killing

A man has been sentenced to five years for fatally stabbing his friend after a night of drugs and alcohol.

Timothy Kavanagh from Rathsallagh Park, Shankill, Co Dublin was convicted of killing Yohan Verhoeven, a known drug dealer.

The jury heard Mr Verhoeven, a Belgian national living in Bentley Park in Bray had spent the night drinking with the accused before returning home with more alcohol, a Chinese takeaway and cocaine.

The two began to engage in "horseplay" with samurai style knives and swords owned by Kavanagh, which resulted in the stabbing of his friend at the Rathsallagh address.

Although Judge Rory McCabe said he believed there was no intention to harm Verhoeven, Kavanagh’s actions in trying to cover up the killing were "callous".

Kavanagh, a carwash attendant, then shrouded the body in a blanket, tied it with a skipping rope, and dumped it in woods near Roundwood.

The body of Verhoeven wasn’t discovered for a further two months in a badly decomposed state.

Judge McCabe described what had happened as "horseplay of breathtaking recklessness".

Det Sgt Fergus O'Brien said there was no suggestion of any animosity between Kavanagh and Verhoeven and that he believed the death had been an accident as a result of horseplay.

The opportunity to read out a victim impact statement by the Verhoeven family was denied by Judge McCabe.

(DW/JM)