Eric Locke pleads not guilty to Dublin hotel murder

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

Eric Locke pleaded not guilty to murdering Sonia Blount in a Dublin hotel, reported on 8 May 2017. The court heard that Ms Blount’s body was found at the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght on 16 February 2014.

Locke admitted causing her death but said he did not intend to kill her. The jury was told the case would focus on his state of mind and a defence of diminished responsibility, which argues that a mental disorder substantially reduced responsibility for the killing.