Man (45) sentenced today for murder

A MAN will be sentenced today following his conviction for the murder of a young man whom he killed in a flat in Cork city before…

A MAN will be sentenced today following his conviction for the murder of a young man whom he killed in a flat in Cork city before dumping his body on waste ground in Kerry.

John Walsh (45), of Carrigmore Park in Ballinlough in Cork city, with an address at Cork Street, Mitchelstown, denied the murder of John McManus (25) at Mr McManus’s flat at Verdon Place, Wellington Road, Cork between October 28th and November 7th, 2008. The jury found Walsh guilty of the charge yesterday. Mr Justice Paul Carney remanded him in custody for sentencing today and requested the preparation of a victim impact statement.

Mr McManus’s family became concerned when he failed to respond to phone calls on October 31st and when gardaí gained entry to his flat, they found blood stains in all the rooms. A week later, on November 6th, gardaí discovered Mr McManus’s body near Ballyduff in north Kerry.

During the trial, Walsh admitted assaulting Mr McManus with the leg or arm of a chair during a drunken row. He claimed he hit him because he feared Mr McManus was going to attack him with a knife.

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times