‘Doesn’t matter if I get a life sentence’

Mr O’Leary said it would be alleged that an altercation arose between the two men “over a switching of a television channel” in the kitchen where the inmates were preparing food.

“An altercation appeared to have occurred in relation to switching channels between a racing channel and Sky Sports News,” he said.

Counsel told the jury they will also hear that the altercation took place and then finished but sometime after 5pm that same day Mr Veale “came across the kitchen with a knife” and stabbed the deceased in the chest area.

Mr O’Leary called Ming Feng Chen, who was an inmate in Cork Prison in May 2015, to give evidence.

The court heard the witness had been in prison since November 2012 for operating a grow house. He has since been released.

The witness told Mr O’Leary he began working in the kitchen with Brian Veale at 7.30am on May 16 and during the day there was “a good few people” in the kitchen.

“There was a cake prepared and we were sharing the cake and having a chat. On television was horse racing, I went over to watch the channel,” said the witness.

Mr Feng Chen told the court that Brian Veale “approached” the deceased and “stabbed him with a knife in the heart area.” “I shouted and said: ‘Why you kill him’,” said the witness.

Mr Veale held the knife, which had a lot of blood on it, before dropping it on the ground, the court heard.

“He [Brian Veale] then smiled at me, called my name and said: ‘If I get a life sentence it doesn’t matter’,” said the witness.

Mr Feng Chen told the court that he then picked up the knife as he was afraid Brian Veale was going to hurt him as he was “abnormal.” The witness said Mr Johnson held his chest after he was stabbed and “slowly fell” on the ground.

“Brian was standing there and just looking,” he said.

Later the prosecution called prison officer Brian Forde to give evidence.

Mr Forde told the court that he was supervising the prisoners in the kitchen on May 15 when he heard a “heated argument” between the accused and the deceased as to what channel to watch on television.

“ I instructed them to stop arguing which they did after a short time ,” said Mr Forde.

The witness told the court that “again” at 5.50pm he heard an altercation and raised voices coming from near the television.

“I got up to investigate and I observed Mr Johnson holding his chest at the back of the kitchen. He was obviously in distress,” he said.

There was “another prisoner” called Ming Feng Chen holding a knife with blood on the blade, he said.

“Ming Feng Chen looked fairly shocked, he was holding the knife in a non-threatening manner. Mr Veale looked relatively calm and had blood splatter on his right forearm,” he said.

The trial is continuing.