A Dad-to-be was stabbed to death after he called his teenage murderer a “rat” during a drug-related row, the Central Criminal Court heard.
The 17-year-old killer, who cannot be named as he is a minor, pleaded guilty last month to the murder of Glen “Ossie” Osborne, 20, on April 15.
At a sentence hearing, the court heard the victim’s girlfriend Lauren Cray gave birth to their son two months after he was killed.
The court also heard the defendant phoned Mr Osborne’s mother before the stabbing and said: “Wait and see what I’m going to do.”
The pair fell out over a payment for a small amount of drugs when the victim started taking cocaine after losing work due to the Covid lockdown.
Det Sgt Ken Hoare told Pauline Whalley SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions on the Sunday before the victim died he went with the defendant and they got drugs without making payment.
The following day the windows of Mr Osborne’s home were smashed in what the detective said was retaliation.
The victim believed the defendant had identified his home to those people, that he had “ratted him to a third party”.
The day of the murder there were “angry messages to and fro” and the defendant was labelled a “rat”. The accused, carrying a white bag with a knife in it, took a taxi and met the deceased at Ballybough House.
The defendant put down the bag before a fight broke out in which witnesses said Mr Osborne had the upper hand.
They were split apart and the defendant retrieved the bag before a second fight began that was caught on CCTV.
Gda Hoare said the defendant could be seen swinging his arm and stabbing Mr Osborne once in the chest. A pathologist’s report showed the victim died having suffered a single stab wound that penetrated the heart.
In a written statement to the court, Ms Cray said her partner was excited when he found out he was going to be a dad and all he wanted was a family.
Mr Osborne’s mother Rose added: “When he was murdered it was the start of my nightmare. I died with Glen that day.”
In a written apology, the defendant said he was sorry and heartbroken at what he had done.
Mr Justice McDermott remanded the defendant until a hearing on December 7.
