Tadhg Butler given life sentence for Waterford murder

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

Tadhg Butler received a life sentence after being convicted of murdering Michael O'Dwyer. The proceedings were reported on 15 May 2015. The charge concerned the killing at Butler’s address in Seafield, Tramore, Co Waterford, on 10 January 2014.

Butler, also known as Thomas O’Grady, pleaded not guilty to murder. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy ordered the sentence to run from 9 January 2014, when Butler’s custody had begun.

On 12 May 2015, Butler dismissed his legal team during the trial. He subsequently recalled his nephew, who had appeared as a witness, to cross-examine him. The judge also offered jurors an exemption from jury service for 10 years, should they wish to take it.

Michael O'Dwyer’s aunt, Edel O’Neill, read a victim impact statement on 15 May 2015. She described the family’s continuing grief and said telling her mother about her grandson’s killing had been their hardest task. She also said Michael O'Dwyer’s mother had kept his bedroom unchanged because she wanted to preserve his scent.