Courts / Dublin / Report

Jury to hear 'distressing evidence' of pensioner killed with machete

Summary

A Central Criminal Court jury will hear evidence that 52‑year‑old Patrick McDonagh of Whitechapel Road, Clonsilla, Dublin 15, is charged with murdering his 73‑year‑old neighbour Peter McDonald on 25 July 2020. McDonagh pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter, a plea rejected by the DPP, so the trial proceeds. The State's counsel, Philipp Rahn SC, described the victim as a quiet pensioner who lived alone with cats, and said the killing involved a machete and knife, with multiple chopping and stabbing wounds to the head and neck. Witnesses reported McDonagh shouting threats, appearing drunk and mentally unstable, and that he was seen with a machete in his hand. Gardaí arrived at the scene early, found McDonald in a pool of blood, and seized the weapons. The case is being treated as murder, with the jury asked to consider whether McDonagh's mental state could give rise to a defence of diminished responsibility.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jury to hear 'distressing evidence' of pensioner killed with machete. Charges or matters: murdering his next-door neighbour Peter McDonald (73) on Whitechapel Road on July 25, 2020; murder but guilty to Mr McDonald's manslaughter. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• July 25, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• July 25 Other
• 2024-01-24 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Trial Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report