Garda tells trial he thought admission to killing was "a joke"

A murder trial at the Central Criminal Court heard that the accused man handed himself in to gardaí in Cork on 3 January 2018, three days after the fatal stabbing of his housemate in Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan. Garda Razvan Ghetau testified that when the man entered Anglesea Garda Station stating he had killed his friend, the officer initially believed it was a jest. The witness said the accused repeated his statement and appeared serious, with his hands positioned as though requesting arrest. Inspector John Callinan outlined the subsequent interviews conducted in Cavan. The accused, Tomasz Paszkiewicz (39), explained he had worked at a meat processing facility since 2009, boning cattle heads. When shown a knife recovered from the scene bearing his employee number, he identified it as his work knife, which he had brought home a year prior. Questioned about his knife proficiency, he acknowledged developing considerable skill over nine years. Mr Paszkiewicz has pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter in relation to the death of Marek Swider (40).