Accused said he only meant to frighten people

A murder accused told gardaí he feared his stepson would be killed by rival bikers, so he loaded a shotgun and went to a motorcycle clubhouse, where he shot a man dead.

He said he did not intend to kill anyone but was panicking after he was attacked and threats were made against him and his family. He also wanted to frighten the bikers so they would leave his family alone.

Alan ‘Cookie’ McNamara, aged 51, from Mountfune, Murroe, Co Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Andrew ‘AOD’ O’Donoghue on Saturday June 20, 2015, at Mountfune.