Court hears murder accused call victim a 'psychopath'

A man accused of murdering his co-accused’s former partner with a sword has told the Central Criminal Court he went to the deceased’s flat to scare him, but not to kill him.

Mr Paul Hopkins is jointly accused with Ms Jacqui Noble of the murder of Derek Benson at his flat in Ballymun, Dublin in 2000. The State’s case is that Jacqui Noble asked him to kill him, and agreed to pay IR£3,000.