Eric Locke found guilty of murder in Dublin hotel

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Eric Locke was found guilty of murdering Sonia Blount at the Central Criminal Court, reported on 22 May 2017. The jury convicted him over Ms Blount’s death in a room at the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght on 16 February 2014. The verdict was unanimous after the jury deliberated for one hour and 33 minutes.

Locke had pleaded not guilty and said he intended to frighten Ms Blount, not kill her. The jury rejected his defence that he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time. The case was adjourned for a victim impact statement and sentencing, with the mandatory life term to follow.