A 47-year-old man has pleaded guilty to attempting to murder his elderly mother in a Waterford nursing home last year.
Gerald Vollrath of Tramore Heights, Tramore had been charged with the murder of Veronica Vollrath (83) on or about January 9, 2012.
He had pleaded not guilty to murdering her at Killure Bridge Nursing Home, Killure when arraigned at the Central Criminal Court on Monday.
A jury of seven men and five women was sworn in for the trial, which was due to start today and was expected to last five days.
However when the case was called, Paul O’Higgins SC, prosecuting, told Mr Justice Paul Carney that there had been a development since Monday.
He said the accused could be re-arraigned on a substituted indictment.
The prosecution then dropped the murder charge against him, and the charge of attempting to murder his mother was put to him.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Veronica Vollrath at the same place and date.
The judge directed preparation of a victim impact report and agreed to relax his bail conditions.
Mr Vollrath now has to sign on at a garda station once a week instead of three times a week, and he no-longer has to surrender his passport to the authorities when in Austria.
Mr Justice Carney remanded him on continuing bail for sentencing on February 17th.