Patrick McDonagh jailed for murder of Peter McDonald

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

Patrick McDonagh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering Peter McDonald at the Central Criminal Court on 14 February 2024, according to a report published that day.

The jury unanimously found McDonagh guilty of murder on 12 February 2024, rejecting his defence that a mental disorder had substantially diminished his responsibility. McDonagh had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter; the Director of Public Prosecutions did not accept that plea.

McDonald was killed at his home on Whitechapel Road in Clonsilla in July 2020. The sentencing report described the attack as involving a machete and knife.