In a Central Criminal Court hearing, 29‑year‑old Shane Smyth pleaded not guilty to the murder of 26‑year‑old Mairead Moran on 8 May 2014 at Kilkenny's Market Cross Shopping Centre. The jury was told the facts were undisputed and that two consultant psychiatrists reported Smyth was suffering from psychosis at the time. Witnesses, including his cousin Rosemary Grogan, his partner Christy Fahy, and others, testified that Smyth claimed Moran had stolen a "vile of his blood," installed hidden cameras, and placed black‑widow spiders in his house. He also alleged that he had been bitten by spiders and that he was forced into a gang war. Smyth was arrested at his cousin's home at 10:05 pm that night, and the trial continues. The prosecution presented evidence of a blood sample taken while Smyth was in custody, which showed no detectable substances. The case remains in progress.
In a Kilkenny murder trial, the jury heard that Shane Smyth, aged 29, was accused of stabbing Mairead Moran, aged 26, to death on 8 May 2014 at Market Cross Shopping Centre. The court was told that weeks before the murder, security staff reported that Smyth was "hanging around" the centre and "freaking" Moran out. On 3 April 2014, security guard John O'Donoghue received a call from Moran, who said her ex‑boyfriend was present and unsettling. O'Donoghue saw Smyth, informed colleague Liam Dwyer, and asked him to leave. A second guard, Richard O'Donoghue, reported that on 10 March 2014, Moran had requested Smyth's removal and described him as walking up and down outside the shop. The trial continues with Smyth pleading not guilty on grounds of insanity, supported by psychiatric reports of psychosis. The jury has been told the facts are not disputed. The case remains in progress.
During the trial, a jury heard that on 8 May 2014, Shane Smyth, aged 29, stabbed Mairead Moran, aged 26, to death at the Market Cross Shopping Centre in Kilkenny. Witnesses described a chaotic scene in the Holland and Barrett shop where Moran was crying and upset. Security guard James Coffey confronted Smyth, who was calm and emotionless, and attempted to remove a blood‑stained knife from his hand. Smyth resisted, kicked Coffey, and fled while Moran was being attended to. Coffey later handed the knife to Gardaí. Witnesses also reported that Moran had previously been admitted to St. Luke's Acute Psychiatric Unit. Smyth pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The trial continues.
In a Kilkenny murder trial, a 29‑year‑old man, Shane Smyth, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after stabbing Mairead Moran, 26, at the Market Cross Shopping Centre on 8 May 2014. The prosecution presented evidence that Smyth had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2005, had received treatment in a psychiatric hospital, and had remained untreated since 2006. Two consultant psychiatrists reported that he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was experiencing active psychotic symptoms at the time of the killing, impairing his capacity to form intent and understand the nature of his act. The court heard that Smyth had previously confronted Moran, spat at her, and that on the day of the murder he entered the Holland and Barrett shop, attacked her with a knife, and fled to a cousin's house before being arrested. The trial continues.
A 29‑year‑old man, Shane Smyth, pleaded not guilty to the murder of 26‑year‑old Mairead Moran at the Market Cross Shopping Centre in Kilkenny on 8 May 2014. He claims the offence was committed by reason of insanity. The case is being heard at the Central Criminal Court, where Justice Margaret Heneghan informed a jury of nine women and three men that the trial would likely finish within a week, but it would not begin until the following day at 11 a.m. The hearing will proceed with evidence from tomorrow onward.