Courts / Kilkenny / Report

Murder trial jury must focus on question of intent, judge charges

Summary

In the murder trial of Damien Singleton, a 31‑year‑old homeless man, the judge instructed the jury to focus on the question of intent. Singleton pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter of Peter Donnelly, a 39‑year‑old homeless man from Kilkenny, who was stabbed twice on O'Connell Street on 11 June 2019. The defence argued that Singleton's mind was "polluted" by alcohol and drugs, preventing him from forming intent to kill. The prosecution countered that intoxication is not a defence unless it renders the defendant incapable of understanding his actions or their consequences. The judge emphasized that the jury must decide whether Singleton intended to kill or cause serious harm, and that any doubt about his capacity to form intent would lead to a manslaughter verdict, otherwise a murder verdict.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Murder trial jury must focus on question of intent, judge charges. Charges or matters: murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Peter Donnelly (then 39), also of no fixed abode but originally from Kilkenny, on O'Connell Street in Dublin in the early hours of June 11, 2019; manslaughter. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• June 11, 2019 Other
• 2021-11-24 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report