Widower died after vicious attack by his nephew in Co Clare, murder trial hears
Thomas Lorigan has pleaded not guilty to murdering John O'Neill.
A jury will hear evidence that a 79-year-old widower died after a vicious attack by his nephew, who the State say repeatedly kicked him in the head while wearing steel capped boots, a murder trial has heard.
The 12 jurors were also told by the State they will have no difficulty finding Thomas Lorigan had an intention to kill or cause serious injury to the pensioner.
Thomas Lorigan, aged 34, of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to murdering John O’Neill, 79, at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, on a date unknown between January 6 and 7, 2022.
Opening the prosecution’s case, Eilis Brennan said the court will hear Mr Lorigan was known by the nickname ‘Mossy’ in the Clare area.
Outlining the facts of the case, Ms Brennan said Mr O’Neill was 79 at the time of his death and was a relative-ly fit and healthy man. Mr O’Neill lived in a house in Lisdoonvarna that had been run as a bed and breakfast up to six months previously.
Mr O’Neill’s wife had run the B&B but she died the previous summer in 2021. The deceased man had lived alone since his wife died and the B&B was no longer in operation, said counsel.
She told the court the prosecution case will be that Mr O’Neill went out for drinks around 6pm on January 6 and returned home in his car around 8pm.
Counsel said the court will hear Mr Lorigan was aged 32 years at the time and was the nephew of Mr O’Neill. She said Mr Lorigan is the son of Mr O’Neill’s sister.
The barrister said the deceased’s sister was married in Leixlip, Co Kildare, and had three children. Mr O’Neill’s sister died when the accused was still a child and Mr O’Neill had acted as a guardian for Thomas Lorigan and his siblings.
She added: “Mr O’Neill helped out in relation to the family at that stage but as the years turned by and as Thomas turned 18, the relationship became strained and they were no longer close. It doesn’t appear the deceased and Mr Lorigan saw a lot of each other at that stage”.
Mr Lorigan moved to the Clare area in the last few years and at that stage was not close to his uncle, she said. Ms Brennan said the accused had “something of an unsettled life”.
Mr Lorigan found himself without a home in late 2021 and was living in a derelict house outside Lisdoonvarna.
Outlining the circumstances of the deceased’s death, Ms Brennan said that witness Walter Burke will give evidence to the trial that he was drinking with the accused in the witness’s house on the night of January 6. The jury will hear they were drinking bottles of red wine and that on various occasions Mr Lorigan went down to the Spar shop to get wine.
The barrister further stated that Mr Burke will testify that the accused left his house later that evening. “Mr Burke didn’t know how long Mr Lorigan was gone but when he came back the accused woke up Walter and said he had an argument with his uncle Mr O’Neill,” she continued.
Counsel said that Mr Burke didn’t think the argument was serious and he went back to sleep. The accused also went to bed.
The next morning, Mr Burke and the accused continued the conversation from the previous night. “Mr Lorigan again referred to the incident with his uncle and indicated it could be something more serious,” she added.
She said Mr Burke became alarmed, rang 999 and emergency services were dispatched to Mr O’Neill’s house at 8.10am on January 7. The emergency services found the deceased on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately Mr O’Neill had died by the time paramedics arrived.
A murder investigation was launched and gardaí went to Mr Burke’s home where they arrested Mr Lorigan. They seized several items of clothing which were believed to have been worn by the accused the previous night. These items included jeans, gloves, a jacket and a particular kind of heavy steel capped boots.
The State pathologist examined Mr O’Neill’s body and found severe blunt force trauma to his head mainly in the facial area.
The trial continues.
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