A teenager accused of murdering his stepfather told gardaí the dead man used to beat him and his mother, a court was told today.
The Central Criminal Court, sitting in Dundalk, heard that Claudio Fernandes (33), a Brazilian national, was found with a knife embedded in his head on the main street in Duleek, Co Meath on the night of Sunday July 29th, 2007.
The six-inch blade was in his skull and only the handle of it could be seen. He died eleven days later.
The accused, who is now 18, lived with his mother and stepfather in a mobile home in Bellewstown. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder and not guilty to manslaughter.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul Carney tomorrow.