Roy Webster pleads not guilty to murder charge

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

Roy Webster pleaded not guilty to murder and guilty to the manslaughter of Anne Shortall. The State did not accept the manslaughter plea, and he was on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Shortall was beaten to death with a hammer at The Murrough, Co Wicklow, on 3 April 2015. The proceedings were reported on 20 March 2017.

In his closing speech, prosecution counsel Paul Greene told the jury that Webster’s remorse was real but did not excuse his actions. He said the fact that Webster was sorry was of limited assistance and suggested it was “couched in self-pity”.

Greene submitted that the infliction of serious head injuries with a hammer would cause serious injury or death. Defence counsel Brendan Grehan was due to make his closing speech the following day.