Appeal court hears 'unusual' argument that dependency on alcohol can diminish person's responsibility for murder

A dependency on alcohol can diminish a person’s responsibility for murder such that juries should be allowed to find them guilty of manslaughter, the Court of Appeal has been told.

The “unusual” argument was made in the case of Michael McDonald (56), an alcoholic who murdered his ex-girlfriend Breda Cummins (31) in Athy, Co Kildare on May 13, 2010.