Man jailed for life for murder of neighbour
A jury at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Limerick, unanimously found 42-year-old Richard Higgins from 1, New Houses, Lattin, guilty of the murder of Sean Murphy, aged 29.
The trial, which lasted 12 days, heard Mr Murphy’s two children had screamed in terror as they watched the fatal attack on their father from the front window of their home, No 2, New Houses, in January 2010.
Mr Murphy died after he was stabbed once by Higgins who attacked him with an ornamental dagger after drinking in a local pub.
Both men, their partners and children had settled in what prosecutor Pauline Walley SC described as the small hamlet of Lattin.
Higgins had also denied threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Mr Murphy and his partner, Paula Hassett, on dates in October and December 2009.
Ms Walley said relations began to deteriorate some time in 2007 after Higgins’ partner, Emma Butler went to her neighbours, complaining about their children. Higgins then went to the house, armed with an axe, shouting abuse.
There were further altercations in pubs in Tipperary town.
Matters further deteriorated when on Sunday, January 17, 2010, Sean Murphy went to Tipperary town to watch a match with his friends in a pub. Ms Hassett picked him up at 8.40pm, and their two young children were in the car.
As they drove towards their estate, Higgins was standing at the door of the Village Inn pub where he had been drinking since mid-afternoon.
When Mr Murphy got to his house, Higgins followed him and shouted abuse.
While Ms Hassett tried to get her children into the house, Higgins followed Mr Murphy and stabbed him.
Higgins was also found guilty of threatening to kill Sean Murphy and Pauline Hassett on dates in October 2009. On the application of Brendan Nix SC, for Higgins, sentence on those matters was adjourned by Judge Patrick McCarthy.
