A Kilkenny man who murdered a 36-year-old mother of two at her home lost his appeal against the conviction today.

The Central Criminal Court has heard that the Kilkenny house in which a 36-year-old mother-of-two died was "the scene of a sustained and violent assault and two deliberate fires".

A number of gardaí have given evidence today to the Central Criminal Court in the trial of an 18-year-old Kilkenny man, accused of murdering his friend’s mother.