Tattoo artist who attacked young chef with sword found guilty of murder
Olivia Kelleher
A tattoo artist who attacked a young chef with a sword 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 father-of-two Ian Baitson (33). The loved ones of Mr Baitson hugged each other and wept when the verdict was returned.
The jury at the week-long trial heard evidence that 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 trial heard that such was the ferocity of the attack that the sword cut through muscle, artery and bone. Mr Baitson was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. However, he died four days later.
Scannell will receive a mandatory life sentence at a sentencing hearing in Cork on July 11th.
Ms Justice Eileen Creedon thanked the jury for their diligent service in a “difficult” case. She excused them from jury service for a period of five years.
Victim impact statements will be prepared prior to the sentencing hearing.
The evidence at the trial was that Scannell had previously sent Mr Baitson a text where he threatened to chop off his fingers because of a drug debt, which he at one point claimed amounted to €2,500.
Mr Baitson had texted him back insisting that he only owed him a couple of hundred euro. Scannell had admitted the manslaughter of Mr Baitson but had denied murder.
On the night of the attack, Mr Baitson had €185 in his pocket which he planned to give to Scannell. However, the evidence was that he never got the chance to hand over the money.
Instead Scannell emerged from a car in the car park and attacked him with a sword.
Mr Baitson had told his mother, Helen Goggin, that he was going to the shop on the evening of March 15th, 2024. He said he would be back to the family home in Newtown in Cobh in about 10 minutes.
Twenty minutes later she heard sirens. She was informed that her son had been attacked and she rushed to his side at Cork University Hospital.
Ms Goggin wept during the trial as she gave evidence that four days later “they had to turn off the machine” at the hospital.
Evidence was also given at the trial by assistant State pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
She said a postmortem indicated that Mr Baitson had died of haemorrhage and shock complicated by brain damage due to lack of blood supply from an injury caused by sharp force.
What she described as 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 — the tibia and fibula.
Scannell, of O’Rahilly Street in Cobh, Co Cork, opted to evidence at the trial.
He said he was “sorry” for what had occurred. Scannell said he had supplied Mr Baitson with drugs and had also loaned him money for a debt he owed to a third party.
He insisted that Mr Baitson was his friend and that he would give anything to turn back the clock.
Scannell said that at the time he was having trouble himself as he owed money to another person.
He admitted that he was a drug addict during this period and was “paranoid” when he went to meet Mr Baitson in the car park.
Scannell insisted that 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 Mr Scannell drove to an area near the harbour in Cobh and threw the sword in to the water.
During cross-examination, prosecuting senior counsel Donal O’Sullivan put it to Scannell that his remorse was superficial in nature. “You are sorry. But only for yourself.”
The trial heard that Mr Baitson was a fit and healthy man who ran road races. He had given up alcohol six months prior to his death.
He was employed as a chef and had two children with whom he had a loving relationship.
Mourners at his funeral on March 27th, 2024, were told that he was a “lovable rogue.” Fr Tom McDermott said that Mr Baitson was the “happiest he had ever been” in the period before he died having just participated in a charity run. He also also been preparing for a marathon.
His family also expressed gratitude to all those who assisted Mr Baitson when he was attacked in the car park.
His brother, Richard, said that bystanders, paramedics and hospital staff had by their actions given them four more precious days with him prior to his death.
