Eric Locke pleads not guilty to murder in Dublin hotel trial

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. His trial was at the Central Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 9 May 2017.

The charge concerned Ms Blount’s death in a room at the Plaza Hotel in Tallaght on 16 February 2014. Locke’s barrister, Patrick Gageby SC, said the defence admitted that Locke caused her death.

The trial heard that a violent struggle took place in the room. The jury saw footage of Locke running away from the hotel, hours before Ms Blount’s body was found. Garda Robert Whitty described finding unused cable ties, duct tape and an imitation firearm in the room.

State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy testified that death was caused by asphyxia from compression of the neck, exacerbated by suffocation from a gag. She said the gag had been inserted with enough force to dislodge some of Ms Blount’s front teeth and break a wire retainer.

The trial continued.