Man accused of Nicola's murder takes the stand

The man accused of murdering Irish student Nicola Furlong in Tokyo last year has taken the stand at his trial.

19-year-old Richard Hinds from Memphis in Tennessee has admitted strangling the 21-year-old, but denies killing her intentionally.

He has been giving a graphic account of the events on the night she died.

He has described a conversation that took place in the taxi the night Ms Furlong was killed, as "meaningless talk".

David Mc Neill, from the Irish Times was in court this morning.

He described some of Mr Hinds' testimony: "The story is that the two women were intoxicated. The defence, his lawyers have portrayed him as a good christian, somebody who wanted to help the two women out and who didn't morally feel that he could leave these women drunk and unconscious in a bar.

"And when he took them back to his hotel, he described in some detail what happened between him and Nicola, which was quite graphic."

Mr Hinds will be cross examined by the prosecution tomorrow.