Deceased ‘like granddad to me’, says accused

A Limerick man accused of murdering an elderly neighbour with a sweeping brush said that the deceased was “like a granddad” to him, a murder trial has heard.

Christopher McNamara, aged 21, of Good Shepherd Villas, Pennywell Rd, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of James Boyce, aged 71, at St Munchin’s St, St Mary’s Park, between Mar 6 and Mar 7, 2011.

The jury also heard a series of witness accounts saying on the night that Mr Boyce was murdered, Mr McNamara was seen carrying a significant amount of money in €50 notes.