Teen who stabbed Urantsetseg Tserendorj wanted to rob her, court told

Lawyers in the murder trial of the 16-year-old accused of murdering Ms Tserendorj delivered their closing speeches on Monday

The accused, who can not be identified as he is a minor, has pleaded not  guilty to the murder of Urantsetseg Tserendorj but guilty to her manslaughter on January 29, 2021. 

The teenager who stabbed Urantsetseg Tserendorj to death wanted to rob, not kill, her and should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder, his barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.

Lawyers for the Director of Public Prosecutions and for the 16-year old accused delivered their brief closing speeches in the trial on Monday morning. Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring will continue her charge to the jury on Monday afternoon before the seven women and five men can begin considering their verdict.

Michael O'Higgins SC, for the accused, said although his client was just 14 years old at the time of the killing, he had developed a drug habit and went out to steal money to buy drugs. 

He asked the jury to look at CCTV footage of the attack and to consider whether the fatal injury to the deceased's neck could have been accidental.

Sean Gillane SC, for the DPP, said a person stabbing someone in the neck can only intend to cause serious harm. "That is the only logical conclusion on a cold analysis of the facts," he said, adding "the appropriate verdict is guilty of murder".

The accused, who can not be identified as he is a minor, has pleaded not  guilty to the murder of Ms Tserendorj but guilty to her manslaughter on January 29, 2021. 

The State did not accept his plea. He has also pleaded guilty to producing a knife and to attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj on a walkway between George’s Dock and Custom House Quay in the IFSC, Dublin, on January 20, 2021.