'I didn't mean to kill him': Tipperary man, 32, denies murdering pensioner

Teddy Murnane: 80-year-old killed at St Michael's Avenue in Tipperary Town on September 12, 2025.

A 32-year-old man who denies murdering a Tipperary pensioner admitted to gardaí that when burgling the garage at the side of the house, he pushed the 80-year-old to get out of the way. 

When gardaí told him in the course of interview that the pensioner had died in hospital, the accused said: “I am after killing someone. I didn’t mean to kill him.” 

His trial for murder began at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork on Wednesday.

Senior counsel Karl Finnegan told the seven women and five men of the jury that his opening speech included the evidence that he expected to emerge in the murder trial but that his outline was not itself evidence.

Seán Harding, aged 32, of Marian Terrace, Tipperary Town, was arraigned on Wednesday and said he was not guilty of murder but was guilty of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Teddy Murnane at St Michael’s Avenue in the town on September 12, 2025. 

He admitted three charges related to burglary on the occasion.

Mr Finnegan said: “Intention is the issue in this case. What was Mr Harding’s intention?”

The prosecution senior counsel explained that the defendant admitted killing Mr Murnane, and had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not murder. 

He said that for the accused to be convicted of murder, the jury must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill or intended to cause serious harm.

It is anticipated that Dr Heidi Okkers, the State pathologist, will testify that the cause of death was complications of blunt force trauma to the head and that the deceased had extensive bruising and swelling to the head. 

“Her opinion was that he received multiple impacts to the face and head and an injury to the back of the head, thought to have been from falling back on to the ground,” Mr Finnegan told the jury. 

He summarised the pathologist’s findings that impacts to the deceased were consistent with being struck by a fist or an object with a flat surface and that he had injuries to his arms, consistent with being defensive injuries.

Noise from garage

The prosecution lawyer said Mr Murnane heard noise from his garage that night and went to investigate. 

A few minutes later he was found badly injured. His wife went out afterwards to find him unconscious on the ground; she put him into a recovery position on his side and called her son, who called the emergency services.

“It became clear to Mrs Murnane and her son Patrick that there had been some disturbance within the garage. There was blood coming from his nose and the back of his head," said Mr Finnegan. 

"The shed which was normally tidy had tools out of place and Patrick immediately thought at that stage that some sort of crime had been committed. He was later able to identify some missing tools.

“Gardaí arrived… Mr Murnane was unresponsive and his condition deteriorated on the way to hospital… To (the medical examiner) it appeared that he had been struck several times in the head. Mr Murnane’s death was recorded at 9.45am on September 14.

“The live issues in the case are not necessarily the burglaries. They form part of the background in the case,” Mr Finnegan said.

“Mr Harding does not have to prove his innocence, he does not have to explain anything. As it happened, he gave answers to gardaí when questioned. But he does not have to explain himself. He does not have to call evidence and the standard of proof is beyond reasonable doubt,” he said.

Mr Finnegan said the issue in the case was not even that Mr Harding had caused the death, as this fact was already acknowledged by the defendant in his plea of guilty to manslaughter. 

He said the issue was whether Mr Harding was guilty of murder and that essentially came down to the question of him having an intention to kill or cause serious harm. 

“The death itself is not proof of murder,” Mr Finnegan said.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford and the jury. It is expected to finish before November 13.