Son who stomped on mother's skull found not guilty of her murder but guilty of manslaughter

Jury accepted defence of provocation from the 29-year-old man who had told the court of being 'groomed' into a life of drugs and violence by his allegedly abusive mother

Luke Donnelly of no fixed abode had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of his mother Catherine Henry, aged 62, at her apartment on Bridge St in Dundalk, Co Louth on a date unknown between May 23 and 24, 2023. 

An amateur kickboxer who said he "lost all control" and stomped on his 62-year-old mother's skull after she threatened to kill him has been found not guilty of her murder but guilty of manslaughter by a Central Criminal Court jury on Thursday evening.

The jury of seven men and five women took just three hours and 36 minutes to accept the defence of provocation put forward by Luke Donnelly, aged 29, who told the panel of being "groomed" into a life of drugs and violence by his allegedly abusive mother.