Murder trial hears accused tried to kill himself before going to Garda station to admit killing ex-girlfriend

A Dublin man, who set up a fake Facebook account to meet a woman who had stopped contact with him, told gardaí he strangled her when she screamed on seeing the pellet gun, Stanley knife and cable ties he had brought to frighten her.

It also emerged that Sonia Blount had wondered if Eric Locke, whom she described as "a fruit loop", was behind the Facebook account. However, she was satisfied that he was not before agreeing to the meeting.