Courts

Gardaí recovered bloodied boots from house where murder accused was said to have stayed, trial hears

Thomas Lorigan (34) denies the murder of his uncle in Lisdoonvarna in January 2022

Thomas Lorigan is on trial for the murder of his uncle John O'Neill at the Central Criminal Court.

Alison O'Riordan
Fri Jan 19 2024 - 19:20

Gardaí recovered a pair of bloodied boots from a house where a man, who is alleged to have kicked his 79-year-old uncle to death, was said to have stayed the night before the body was found, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Thomas Lorigan (34), of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to murdering widower John O’Neill (79) at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare between January 6th and 7th, 2022.

It is the prosecution’s case that the pensioner died after a vicious attack by his nephew, who they submit repeatedly kicked him to the head while wearing steel capped boots.

A garda witness has described to the jury the moment she found the body of Mr O’Neill on his kitchen floor. She said he had been “severely beaten” to the point where he was “unrecognisable”.

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Giving evidence on Friday, Garda John Costello told Aoife O’Leary, BL, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, that he went to a house at Gleann Bhreandain in Lisdoonvarna on January 7th, 2022, where he found a pair of boots behind an armchair inside a patio door. “There appeared to me to be blood on the boots,” he said.

The garda said he also found a pair of blue jeans just outside the patio door. He pointed out the items to Sergeant Joe Fallon later that afternoon.

The next witness, Sgt Fallon, said when he arrived at the house that afternoon he seized the size 46 ‘Portwest’ boots and the pair of jeans. He said he saw a small splatter of blood under the boots which he took a swab from.

Sgt Fallon said he noticed a pair of gloves when he went to pick up the damp jeans that day. “The gloves were covered over in the waist of the pants and they were dry,” he said.

The next witness, Sean McNamara, told Eilis Brennan, SC, prosecuting, that he was working in his father’s pub in Lisdoonvarna, called The Irish Arms, on January 6th, 2022. The witness said he had known the deceased Mr O’Neill all his life and was very good friends with him.

Mr McNamara said Mr O’Neill would usually have a couple of pints in the pub around 6pm each day before going home for dinner between 7pm and 7.30pm.

The witness said Mr O’Neill was in the pub on the evening of January 6th and in good form. Asked by counsel whether he had noticed any marks on Mr O’Neill, the witness said “absolutely not”. “He was chatting to everyone, a real people’s person, he was very well known throughout north Clare,” said Mr McNamara.

Referring to an evening in October 2021, Mr McNamara agreed with the barrister that ‘a person’ had once come into the pub when Mr O’Neill was there. He also agreed that, on that October night, Mr O’Neill had ordered a pint before he [Mr O’Neill] spotted his nephew sitting on his own. The witness further agreed that Mr O’Neill had drunk his pint very quickly before leaving the pub and that there was no interaction between the pair. “John said he had spuds boiling and left very quickly,” said Mr McNamara.

Mr O’Neill’s son, Sean O’Neill, told Ms Brennan that the accused has been known as ‘Mossy’ since he was a baby. Mr O’Neill said the accused’s late mother Geraldine was his father’s younger sister. He said his father had regularly helped out and provided financial assistance if needed when Geraldine split up with her husband.

He said his father had become a guardian to the accused when he was younger but in later years there was very limited contact between ‘Mossy’ and the witness’s parents.

The trial continues on Monday before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.

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