Murder accused was victim of abuse, court hears

A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and stabbing her mother could have lost control because of severe paranoia and very poor impulse control caused by "a continuum of abuse" in his childhood, a psychiatrist told a murder jury today.

Declan Burke (29), has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Jennifer Wilkinson (24) at her home in the Rise, Boden Park, Ballyboden, near Rathfarnham, Dublin on December 13 2000.