Court archive
Court reports mentioning Lisdoonvarna, Clare
2024-02-19 · Clare
In a Central Criminal Court hearing, the family of 78‑year‑old John O'Neill, who was killed by his nephew Thomas Lorigan (34), expressed profound grief and fear. The niece, Niamh Higgins, described the murder as a "heinous" act that left a "hollowness" in the family. She highlighted the brutality shown in CCTV footage and the impact on the community of Lisdoonvarna, where elderly residents now feel a shared trauma. The court heard three victim impact statements, all detailing the emotional devastation and the sense that the crime was "beyond torture" because it was committed by a relative. Judge Paul McDermott noted the mandatory life sentence imposed on Lorigan, back‑dated to his 2022 arrest, and emphasized the importance of the victim's voice in such proceedings. The sentencing reflected the severity of the violence and the lack of remorse from the offender. The family thanked responders and expressed that John's memory would remain with them forever.
2024-02-01 · Clare
In a High Court murder trial, Mr Justice Paul McDermott addressed jurors after Thomas Lorigan was found guilty of killing his 78‑year‑old uncle, John O'Neill, by stamping him to death outside his home in Lisdoonvarna. Lorigan, aged 34 and without a fixed abode, had denied the murder. The jury had seen graphic CCTV footage of the assault, which caused one juror to become very emotional. Mr Justice McDermott explained that the courts could not provide any "time out post‑verdict" or additional support beyond what is already available through the Courts Service, which offers debriefing for jurors and support for court staff. He thanked the 12 jurors for their dedication and noted that they would be exempt from jury service for the next ten years. The judge also acknowledged the increasing impact of traumatic digital evidence on all involved parties.
2024-02-01 · Clare
In a Central Criminal Court trial, a jury unanimously found 34‑year‑old Thomas Lorigan guilty of murdering his 78‑year‑old uncle, John O'Neill, in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. Lorigan, who had no fixed abode, was alleged to have stamped O'Neill to death while wearing steel‑capped boots. CCTV footage showed Lorigan delivering calculated kicks and stamping the widower, who had previously run a bed and breakfast with his wife, who died in 2021. A Garda witness testified that O'Neill was severely beaten and left unrecognisable. Blood‑stained boots recovered from a house Lorigan stayed at the night before the body was found contained a mixed DNA profile, including Lorigan's. The prosecution argued the attack was "something personal" with no robbery motive. The jury, after three days of deliberation, returned a unanimous guilty verdict for murder. Mr Justice Paul McDermott will hand down a mandatory life sentence on 19 February and remand Lorigan in custody until then. Thomas Lorigan pleaded not guilty.
2024-02-01 · Clare
The 78‑year‑old widower John O'Neill, former owner of a Lisdoonvarna bed and breakfast, was found dead in his kitchen on 6 January 2024. Garda Louise Keogh and a colleague entered the house after a call about a suspected altercation the previous night. They discovered O'Neill's severely beaten body, with facial injuries, a pool of blood at the top of his head, a broken vase, a damaged laptop and scattered bank and social services cards. The scene suggested a "personal" killing. Witnesses identified Thomas Lorigan, 56, as the man who had stayed overnight at Lorigan's home the night before and who was later arrested for assault causing serious harm. Lorigan was detained at Ennis Garda Station after a DNA sample was taken. The case remains a murder investigation, with the prosecution presenting forensic evidence linking Lorigan to the assault and death of O'Neill. The trial has not yet concluded.
2024-01-31 · Clare
The Central Criminal Court trial of Thomas Lorigan, aged 34 and a nephew of the deceased, continues with a jury of five men and seven women deliberating for a third day. Lorigan, who has no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty to the murder of his 78‑year‑old uncle, John O'Neill, who lived alone on St Brendan's Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. The prosecution presented evidence that Lorigan was seen on CCTV delivering kicks and stamping on O'Neill's head with steel‑capped boots, and that a pair of blood‑stained boots recovered from a house where Lorigan stayed the night before the body was found contained a mixed DNA profile including Lorigan's. Witness Walter Burke testified that Lorigan left the house on the night of 6 January, returned before midnight, and had a serious argument with his uncle.
2024-01-30 · Clare
In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, the jury's deliberations were halted for the day after one juror fell ill. The 12 jurors had begun deliberating at midday, spending an hour and five minutes before being sent home. The foreman notified Judge Paul McDermott that a juror was unwell and requested the rest of the day be excused. The jury confirmed they would return tomorrow at 11 am. The case concerns Thomas Lorigan, 34, who is accused of murdering his 78‑year‑old uncle, John O'Neill, at St Brendan's Road, Lisdoonvarna, between 6 and 7 January 2022. Lorigan, known locally as 'Mossy', is the nephew of the deceased. Evidence presented includes blood‑stained boots recovered from a house in Gleann Bhreandain, a mixed DNA profile containing Lorigan's DNA, and CCTV footage allegedly showing Lorigan delivering kicks and stamping on O'Neill's head with steel‑capped boots. Thomas Lorigan pleaded not guilty.
2024-01-26 · Clare
In a Lisdoonvarna murder trial, the prosecution argued that 34‑year‑old Thomas Lorigan, known as 'Mossy', killed his 78‑year‑old uncle John O'Neill by stamping on his head with steel‑capped boots and delivering calculated kicks. Evidence included blood‑stained boots and jeans found at Lorigan's residence, DNA matching O'Neill's profile, CCTV footage of a man in long pants entering the B&B, and testimony from Walter Burke that Lorigan had a heated argument with his uncle that night. The prosecution claimed the assault was vicious, with no resistance from O'Neill, and that Lorigan left the scene carrying something, possibly alcohol. Lorigan pleaded not guilty, and the defence contended the evidence was circumstantial, questioning the reliability of witness testimony and CCTV identification. The trial was set to continue on Monday.
2024-01-25 · Clare
During the trial of Thomas Lorigan, accused of murdering his 78‑year‑old uncle John O'Neill, the court heard that Lorigan, who was arrested for assault causing serious harm, was questioned by Gardaí about blood on his clothing. In an inference interview, Lorigan was told that a failure to explain the presence of blood could lead a jury to draw an inference. When asked to account for blood on his black boots and blue jeans seized from Gleann Bhreandain, he replied "no comment." Forensic evidence showed the boots and jeans contained DNA from both Lorigan and O'Neill, and the jeans' lower leg matched O'Neill's profile. Lorigan was also asked about a box of alcoholic drinks seized from the uncle's house, to which he again made no comment. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury. Thomas Lorigan pleaded not guilty.
2024-01-24 · Clare
A forensic scientist presented a mixed DNA profile taken from inside a pair of boots heavily stained with the blood of widower John O'Neill, who was beaten to death in his own home. The DNA matched both O'Neill and the accused, Thomas Lorigan, a 34‑year‑old man known locally as 'Mossy' and the victim's nephew. The boots, recovered from a house where Lorigan stayed the night before the body was found, were described as steel‑capped Portwest boots in size 46 with a thick chevron‑shaped sole pattern. The scientist also matched footwear impressions on the victim's kitchen floor and on carpet, as well as partial impressions on a Dell laptop, to the boots. Blood found on the boots matched O'Neill's profile, and a mixed DNA profile from inside the boots contained both O'Neill's and Lorigan's DNA. Thomas Lorigan pleaded not guilty.
2024-01-23 · Clare
During the Central Criminal Court hearing, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster described the body of 78‑year‑old widower John O'Neill, found on his kitchen floor with a heavily blood‑stained, flattened face. She reported severe blunt‑force trauma, multiple fractures of facial bones, a traumatic brain injury, and extensive bruising and lacerations consistent with repeated kicks, blows and stamping. The deceased's heart was normal, and a toxicology report showed an alcohol level of 97 mg, equivalent to three pints. Dr Bolster concluded that respiratory compromise from inhalation of blood, caused by the severe facial and neck trauma, was the cause of death. The prosecution alleges that Thomas Lorigan, 34, the victim's nephew, repeatedly kicked O'Neill while wearing steel‑capped boots, leading to the fatal injuries. Lorigan has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.
2024-01-19 · Clare
In a murder trial at the Central Criminal Court, Thomas Lorigan, 34, pleaded not guilty to the killing of his 79‑year‑old uncle, John O'Neill, who was found dead on the kitchen floor of his home on St Brendan's Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. The prosecution alleged that Lorigan repeatedly kicked O'Neill to the head while wearing steel‑capped boots, causing severe injuries that left the body unrecognisable. Garda John Costello testified that he discovered a pair of blood‑stained boots and blue jeans behind an armchair in the victim's house on 7 January 2022. Sergeant Joe Fallon later seized the boots, noting a small splatter of blood under them, and collected a swab. Witnesses, including Walter Burke and several pub staff, described Lorigan's visits to the house and his alleged quarrels with O'Neill. The trial, presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott, continues with a jury of five men and seven women.
2024-01-18 · Clare
A Garda witness described to the Central Criminal Court jury the moment she discovered the body of a 79‑year‑old widower, John O'Neill, who had been severely beaten to the point of being unrecognisable. The body was found on the morning of 7 January 2024 at O'Neill's bed and breakfast on St Brendan's Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. Garda Louise Keogh, on duty at 8.06 am, received a call about an altercation the previous night and, after failing to open the front door, entered the house through a broken window. She saw the victim lying on the ground with blood around his head, a broken vase beside him, and scattered cards including a PPS card. Paramedic Melissa Power confirmed the death at 9.15 am. The accused, Thomas Lorigan, 34, of no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty to the murder.
2024-01-17 · Clare
In a murder trial, the State presented evidence that 79‑year‑old widower John O'Neill was killed by his nephew Thomas Lorigan, 34, who allegedly repeatedly kicked him to the head with steel‑capped boots. The prosecution described O'Neill as a fit, healthy man who had lived alone after his wife's death and had recently run a bed and breakfast. On the night of 6 January 2022, O'Neill returned home after drinking and was attacked by Lorigan, who was described as "Mossy" and living in a derelict house. Witness Walter Burke testified that Lorigan left his house after an argument with O'Neill, and emergency services found O'Neill dead in the kitchen the next morning. The State's pathologist reported severe blunt‑force trauma to O'Neill's face, consistent with multiple kicks. CCTV footage showed a man assaulting another outside the B&B, with the attacker later seen heading toward Burke's house. Thomas Lorigan pleaded not guilty.
2024-01-15 · Clare
Thomas Lorigan, 34, of no fixed abode, is set to stand trial for the murder of 79‑year‑old John O'Neill in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, between 6 and 7 January 2022. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecution is led by senior counsel Eilis Brennan; the defence is headed by Michael Bowman SC. Judge Paul McDermott noted Lorigan's former residence in Lucan, Dublin, and that O'Neill ran a bed and breakfast on St Brendan's Road until 2021. The jury, five men and seven women, will hear the case, which is expected to last up to four weeks.