Shannon murder accused had denied re-entering nightclub with a knife for revenge

The accused described an incident where the deceased punched him a second time on that night

Nathan O’Neill is on trial at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork on a charge of murdering Jamie Higgins at the Shannon Knights licensed premises in County Clare in 2018. File photo: Larry Cummins

The Limerick man accused of murder at a Shannon nightclub denied going back into the premises with a knife for revenge after being punched by the deceased.

Describing the incident where the deceased punched him a second time on that night, the accused said to investigating gardaí: “Jamie hit me and I swung the knife at him.” He said the late Jamie Higgins made contact with this punch – hitting the accused in the lower lip.