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06 Sept 2025

BREAKING: Nephew found guilty of murdering his uncle at home in Clare town

Jury at Central Criminal Court finds Thomas Lorigan guilty of murdering John O'Neill

BREAKING: Nephew found guilty of murdering his uncle at home in Clare town

The trial took place at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin | FILE PHOTO

Reporter:

Alison O'Riordan

01 Feb 2024 12:36 PM

A jury has found a Clare man guilty of murdering his 78-year-old uncle by stamping him to death while wearing steel-capped boots.
The jury at the Central Criminal Court agreed with the prosecution case that Thomas Lorigan was the man who was caught on CCTV delivering calculated, "well-aimed" kicks as widower John O'Neill lay helplessly on the ground outside his home in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.
During the trial, a garda witness told the jury that the pensioner had been severely beaten to the point where he was "unrecognisable".  
Thomas Lorigan, aged 34, of no fixed abode, had pleaded not guilty to murdering John O'Neill (78) at St Brendan’s Road, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare on a date unknown between January 6 and January 7, 2022.
Trial heard evidence that Lorigan was known by the nickname 'Mossy' in the Clare area and was the deceased's nephew. The jury was told that Mr O'Neill lived alone and previously ran a bed and breakfast at his home along with his wife, who passed away in the summer of 2021.
Mr Lorigan, who had denied the charge, now faces a mandatory life sentence.

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