17-year-old pleads guilty to murder

A 17-year-old teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering 19-year-old Rebecca Kinsella in her Kildare home last year.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted murdering Ms Kinsella in her home in Grattan Court, Celbridge on January 24, 2006.

Flanked in the Central Criminal Court by his parents, the boy cried as details of the horrific event were read out.

Det sergeant Ashley O'Sullivan told Mr Justice Paul Carney that in interviews with gardaí, the boy said he "didn't mean to kill her".

He said Rebecca was beaten to death with a baseball bat and two kitchen knives.

Blood was found on the landing, hall and living room and post-mortem results showed that she suffered 51 stab wounds and multiple blunt force trauma.

She died from multiple stab wounds at the back of her neck, which severed her spinal chord.

The alarm was raised by Rebecca's mother but the DIT Fine Arts student was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sentencing hearing continues.