Othamane Majdouline and Paul O’Shea
An Irish heroin addict is alleged to have brutally beaten a drug dealer and another man to death with a hammer before torching their apartment to cover his tracks.
A court in the UK heard that 37-year-old Portlaoise man Paul O’Shea allegedly murdered 51-year-old Othamane Majdouline, and Leandro Da Silva (47) after a drugs deal in Islington, London.
The men’s bodies were discovered by the London Fire Brigade, who were called to tackle a blaze at the flat in Stelfox House, in Penton Rise, where Mr Majdouline was living.
Firefighters found the victims slumped, dead on the sofa.
The Old Bailey heard that the men had suffered head injuries as well as stab wounds, the latter being administered post mortem.
Prosecutor Mark Fenhalls told the court that “Injuries to the skull suggested an attack with a hammer.
“The prosecution say that man was Paul O’Shea. He was there in that flat and had obtained drugs from these two men.
“The only candidate to have killed these two men and set that fire is Paul O’Shea.”
The victim, Mr Majdouline was known to police as a low level drug dealer.
O’Shea was spotted on CCTV arriving to the apartment at 6:31pm and left at 6:54pm, twelve minutes before neighbours dialled 999.
Mr Fenhalls said: "By this stage he had killed the two men in the flat and his is now leaving, making good his escape having set the fire."
O’Shea was arrested on the 5th of January and a bag in his possession was found to have blood from Mr Majdouline inside it.
The trial continues