Murder accused told garda he gave victim ‘a few slaps’

THE man who denies murdering a Fermoy man two years ago spoke to a detective on a car journey to a court and said: “I fucked up badly. I gave him a few slaps alright. He owed me about €500.”

That claim was made by a detective sergeant yesterday but challenged by the defence, who alleged that some details of the memo were an attempt to pull the wool over people’s eyes and an attempt to ascribe a motive to the accused.

John Walsh, 45, originally from Ballinlough, Cork, and more recently of Cork Street, Mitchelstown, is on trial for the murder of John McManus on a date unknown between October 28 and November 7, 2008, at flat 1, 3 Verdon Place, Wellington Road, Cork.