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Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Tattoo artist found guilty of chef's murder through sword attack in car park
A tattoo artist has been found guilty of the murder of a young chef he attacked with a sword causing partial amputation of his left leg, massive blood loss and his subsequent death in hospital has been found guilty of murder. Jurors at the Central Criminal Court in Cork took just over four hours to unanimously convict Dylan Scannell of the murder of 33-year-old father of two Ian Baitson. The victim's loved ones hugged each other and wept when the verdict was returned. Over a week-long trial, the jury heard Scannell (31) struck Mr Baitson from behind the left knee with a sword at the Eurospar car park on Newtown Road in Cobh, Co Cork on the evening of March 15th, 2024. The medical evidence was that the sword cut through muscle, artery and bone. Mr Baitson was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, but he died four days later. READ MORE Mr Scannell will receive a mandatory life sentence. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon thanked the jury members for their diligent service in a 'difficult' case. The trial heard Scannell had sent Mr Baitson a text threatening to chop off his fingers because of a drug debt he at one point claimed amounted to €2,500. Mr Baitson responded by insisting he only owed him a couple of hundred euro. The accused had admitted the manslaughter of Mr Baitson but denied murder. Ian Baitson died from injuries sustained when he was attacked with a sword in a car park in Cobh, Co Cork, in March 2024. Photograph: Family handout/ PA Wire On the night of the attack, Mr Baitson had €185 he planned to give to Scannell. However, the evidence was that he never got the chance to hand over the money. Instead Scannell attacked him with a sword. Mr Baitson had told his mother Helen Goggin he was going to the shop and would be 10 minuts. She heard sirens 20 minutes later and was informed that he had been attacked. Ms Goggin wept during the trial as she said 'they had to turn off the machine' at the hospital four days later. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the trial a postmortem indicated Mr Baitson died of a haemorrhage and shock complicated by brain damage due to the lack of blood supply from an injury caused by sharp force. A single blow from a sharp weapon like a samurai sword caused a fracture to the knee bone and sliced through the two bones below the knee. Scannell, of O'Rahilly Street in Cobh, Co Cork, opted to evidence at the trial. He said he was 'sorry' for what occurred. He said he had supplied Mr Baitson with drugs and loaned him money for a debt he owed to a third party. He insisted Mr Baitson was his friend and said he would give anything to turn back the clock. Scannell said he was having trouble and owed money to another person at the time. He admitted he was a drug addict 'paranoid' when he went to meet Mr Baitson in the car park. He insisted he brought the sword to the car park for 'protection' and never intended to harm Mr 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.' Following the attack, Scannell drove to an area near the harbour in Cobh and threw the sword into the water. The trial heard Mr Baitson was a fit and healthy man who ran road races. He had given up alcohol six months before his death. Mourners at his funeral on March 27th, 2024 were told he was a 'lovable rogue.' Fr Tom McDermott said Mr Baitson was the 'happiest he had ever been' in the period before he died having just participated in a charity run. His family expressed gratitude to all who assisted Mr Baitson when he was attacked in the car park. His brother Richard said bystanders, paramedics and hospital staff gave them four more precious days with him before his death.
BreakingNews.ie
03-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Tattoo artist charged with murder with sword said he only ever meant to 'scare' him
A tattoo artist charged with the murder of a 33-year-old man who suffered 'total 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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". Advertisement '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.
Irish Examiner
30-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Accused in Cobh murder trial didn't account for his movements at relevant time to gardaí
The tattoo artist on trial for murdering a young man in Cobh by slashing his leg with a sword was questioned by gardaí around a week afterwards but he made no comment when asked to account for his movements at the relevant time. 31-year-old Dylan Scannell of O'Rahilly Street, Cobh, County Cork, spoke to gardaí following his arrest on March 22, 2024, for murdering Ian Baitson and he described being a tattoo artist, his drug use, mental health and a head injury he sustained in a fall. He was also questioned about key aspects of the investigation and warned in legal terms that inferences could be drawn from a failure to answer. Sergeant Diarmuid O'Neill and Detective Garda Dave Barry put it to him that blood of Ian Baitson was found on the passenger footwell mat of a car in which he (the accused) was present at 20.53 on March 15, 2024, after - gardaí believed - he seriously assaulted Ian Baitson with a sword. Asked if he wished to say anything about that, he replied, 'No'. Ian Baitson (pictured) died on March 19, 2024. File picture Similar inference explanations were given to him when he was asked why he was present at the Eurospar car park at the relevant time when Ian Baitson was subjected to a brutal assault by him with a sword. He replied: 'No comment.' This evidence emerged from memos of interviews on March 22 and March 23, 2024, at Midleton garda station. In the murder trial which ran throughout this week Dylan Scannell denied murdering 33-year-old chef, Ian Baitson, in Eurospar car park, Newtown Road, Cobh, on March 19, 2024, but admitted his manslaughter. The prosecution case is almost finished, prosecution senior counsel Donal O'Sullivan said on Friday. Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said to the jury of six men and six women at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork: 'We will go into the final stages of this trial next week.' She asked the jury to return on Tuesday, June 3. In earlier parts of the interviews talking about his life and background, the accused said he was engaged to be married and that he had worked for years as a tattoo artist and had his own studio at different times, in Cobh and Tralee, and was still doing it at that time in early 2024 on a freelance basis. In relation to his own body tattoos, he referred to one on his head of an Egyptian demon. He had an interest in American show dogs and fishing, he said during interviews. He also said: 'My mental health is not great.' He spoke of falling from a roof six weeks previously for which he received hospital treatment. Regarding drugs, he said: I am taking cocaine – half a lump a day, maybe more. He also spoke of taking other drugs including, 'acid, mushrooms and ecstasy'. He said his drug-taking began at the age of 13 or 14. Defence senior counsel Tom Creed said reference was also made to the defendant taking medication, including anti-depressants. Before the evidence of memos of interviews, there was evidence from two forensic scientists from Forensic Science Ireland. Dr Alan Magee said blood samples on a car mat taken in evidence from a rented Skoda Octavia matched the profile of the deceased, Ian Baitson. Dr Stephen Clifford said that a sample taken from a sword matched the DNA profile of Ian Baitson, using a different type of DNA test than his colleague used on the mat. He explained that the sword-matched DNA could also match a person's siblings and maternal relatives.
Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Murder accused threatened to chop off chef's fingers in text before fatal attack
A man charged with the murder of a 33-year-old chef sent him a text threatening to chop off his fingers just hours before he was fatally attacked in a car park, a court in Cork has heard. Dylan Scannell, 30, is on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in the city charged with the murder of Ian Baitson in a car park in Cobh, Co Cork in March of last year. Mr Scannell has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. However, he denies murdering the father of two. The trial previously heard evidence that Mr Baitson suffered a 'mostly severed (left) leg' and 'catastrophic bleeding' after he was attacked by a man with a sword in the Eurostar car park on March 15, 2024. He died in Cork University Hospital four days later. On Wednesday, evidence was given of texts and phone calls between the two men. Detective Garda David Kelleher completed a forensic extraction of a mobile phone believed to be that of Ian Baitson. The mobile phone was found in the Eurospar car park in Newtown Road in Cobh in the aftermath of the attack. The court was told that over 300 interactions occurred on WhatsApp between Mr Baitson and Mr Scannell over a period covering August 2023 to March 2024. A number of the messages consisted of the men making plans to meet up so that Ian Baitson could pay off a debt he owed to Mr Scannell. In the period before his death, Mr Baitson maintained he owed Scannell 'less than €500'. However, Mr Scannell insisted that the deceased man owed him €2,500. On February 20, 2024 Scannell texted Mr Baitson that he was 'delusional' after Baitson said he was being 'snappy' and queried the amount owed. On March 10, 2024 Mr Baitson texted Scannell that he would give him €185 that Thursday and then they were 'done'. 'I pay this €185 on Thursday, that is the end of it. You can delete my name, we are done bud.' Mr Scannell, of O'Rahilly Street in Cobh called Mr Baitson a 'cheeky pr***' in response. He said that he had stopped a fella from cutting off his private parts a few months earlier. He subsequently called Mr Baitson a 'scumbag'. On March 14, 2024, Mr Scannell texted Mr Baitson and said he was going to call to his home. Mr Baitson texted back the following day about a text Mr Scannell had sent him of a sexual nature and asked was it a 'threat'. Mr Scannell told him to call it whatever he wanted. 'I am going to smash you when I see you.' A few texts later, Mr Scannell messaged Mr Baitson saying: 'Who do you think you are? Think you are a hard man? I am going to chop your fingers off, you smart c***." The pair arranged to meet that night (the evening of March 15, 2024) in the Eurospar car park in Cobh. The last text Mr Baitson sent Scannell was later that evening, when he told the accused he was on the way to the car park. Evidence was 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 15, 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. Her son was declared dead. The case will continue on Thursday morning. It is being presided over by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and is expected to last a week.
Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Dylan Scannell told Cork chef: 'I am going to smash you when I see you', Cobh murder trial hears
The man who denies murder in Cobh texted the deceased on the day saying: 'I am going to smash you when I see you… I am going to chop your fingers off.' This evidence was given in the trial of 30-year-old Dylan Scannell, of O'Rahilly Street, Cobh, Co Cork, who denies murdering Cork chef Ian Baitson, in Eurospar car park, Newtown Road, Cobh, on March 19, 2024, but admits his manslaughter. March 19 is the date of death in hospital four days after the incident in the car park. Evidence was heard by Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of six men and six women at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork that the deceased bled heavily after being struck to the left leg with a sword. Detective Garda David Kelleher testified that Ian Baitson's phone was found at the scene in the car park of Eurospar in Cobh on the day in question and a forensic extraction of all the data on the phone was undertaken. WhatsApp messages WhatsApp communications between Ian Baitson, and the accused, whose name appeared in the contacts of Dylan Scannell, consisted of 314 interactions — mainly texts but also including voice notes, images and missed or declined calls between August 2023 and March 2024. Many of the messages consist of arrangements to 'meet for coin', and for Ian Baitson to pay money in various amounts to Dylan Scannell. In the course of these, Ian Baitson said he owed various amounts in the order of hundreds of euro and disputed in one text: 'There is no way I owe you €2,500, not a f***ing chance… You want to check that. I know that myself. Not a chance, lad. Don't even think to say I owe that… I actually have it wrote down myself… I am telling you now, lad. Who do you think you are? Ha. I am skitting how you think you can say that. Ha… I owe you less than €500." Dylan Scannell texted in reply: 'Who do I think I am? Are you taking the piss? Or do you want it that way?' The deceased texted: 'Lad, I am not taking the piss. I never got that much. Are you getting snappy towards me?... It is not even near to the bill. I will send you what I wrote down.' Dylan Scannell replied: 'If you think this is snappy, you delusional.' Mr Baitson later texted: 'I would never bullshit you, ever.' This exchange occurred on February 20 2024. In later texts, the deceased said he had two cousins from Coolock, and the accused wanted to know their full names and their Eircodes. The accused texted on March 10: 'My buddy reckons he knows them,' adding they might be near a particular bar in Coolock. Mr Baitson said they would not be down to Cobh, adding: 'They run a big operation too, so I am not going to hound them.' Later on March 10, Mr Baitson texted: 'Lad, I want to sort out this shit, I am not continuing on this no more… €185 on Thursday and we are done… I pay this €185 on Thursday, that is the end of it, you can delete my name, we are done, bud.' The accused texted: 'It is €2,500, not €25,000. You wanted to do it this way. I was being fair. Who is your cousins and where do they live? Where are you now?' The deceased texted: 'I owe you €185 from the bill. I am not trying to make any situation. I have no more to do with you or anyone else. So-called friend I thought you were. To pull that bullshit makes me sick, lad.' The accused replied: 'Listen to me now you cheeky prick. I stopped a fella from cutting your mickey off a couple of months ago and you think you can speak to me like that.' The deceased texted back: 'Lad, I know you did, I am not speaking shit to you… If my job was to collect for you, no way would I steal from you.' Other texts disputed whether €350 or €310 were paid by the deceased to the accused through a third party. Two days later, there was a voice note from the accused saying: 'You scumbag.' The deceased texted: 'Be on your own, Thursday, when I give you €185… I will see you Thursday with the last €185.' The accused replied: 'You will see me sooner than that. Trust me… Have something nice for you.' After a number of texts from Dylan Scannell on March 12, Ian Baitson replied he was busy and not in Cobh. After further contacts from Dylan Scannell, Mr Baitson texted: 'Is there something wrong with you, lad? I am busy. Pretty straightforward.' Dylan Scannell replied: 'No, bud, just asking where you are — pretty straightforward.' Two days later, Mr Scannell texted threatening texts of a sexual nature and said he was going to come to his home. At 5.14am on March 15, the deceased texted: 'Was that a threat last night, was it?' The accused replied: 'Call it whatever the fuck you want, I am going to smash you when I see you… Cheeky c***. Mr Baitson replied: 'I am joking, lad. Sense of humour. See you after.' Dylan Scannell texted: 'Have that few quid. Who do you think you are? Think you are a hard man? I am going to chop your fingers off, you smart c***.' The two men arranged by text to meet at Eurospar car park. At about 8.30pm, the deceased texted he was going there. Dylan Scannell texted back: 'No, I will tell you when to leave.' Ian Baitson replied: 'OK, bud.' About 10 minutes later, he texted: 'Go now', and the deceased replied — in what was the last communication of the 314 interactions on WhatsApp — 'On my way.' A video montage from various CCTV was also shown to the jury without commentary of streets in Cobh and of the Eurospar carpark at the relevant time, without commentary of any kind. The trial continues. Read More Witness at Cobh murder trial said he saw man holding a sword and striking another man on the leg
