A Social Welfare manager broke down at a murder trial yesterday and said he "just lost it" before killing his wife with a car jack.
"I let fly. I don't remember hitting her. Next thing she was on the ground with blood on her," Patrick Hennessy told the Central Criminal Court.
Hennessy said he lost his temper after his wife slapped him across the face for losing his job.
He admitted that he had embezzled money from the social welfare office he managed in Callan, Co Kilkenny.
Hennessy (37), of Callan, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murdering his wife, Marie, on May 12th, 1999.
He beat his wife to death after stopping her car as she was bringing her two young daughters on a shopping trip to Kilkenny city.
He had been escorting them to Kilkenny in his own car before he stopped his wife's vehicle.
The accused man told his counsel, Ms Maureen Clark SC, that he married Marie in September 1992 and they had three young daughters.
He had been working in the Callan social welfare office and took over as manager when his father died.
At about this time he made a mistake in the accounts and profited by about £500. He had decided to keep the money and thought it was a handy way of making extra cash. His bosses began to investigate his office in early 1999.
Hennessy told the court that a fire in the office during the investigation was accidental.
He said he had hoped to resolve his work difficulties by telling his bosses lies, but this got him into worse trouble.
On May 7th, 1999, he was suspended from his work, but did not tell his wife, because she was looking forward to a holiday with her work-mates and he didn't want to ruin it for her.
The following Monday morning, he agreed to travel with Mrs Hennessy to Kilkenny. She put two of their daughters in her car and he drove ahead of them in his own car. He pulled in beside her further down the road and told her he had lost his job. They began shouting at each other.
She had said that if she had his golf clubs she would wrap them around his neck. He said she could use her car jack. He took out the jack and she slapped him on the face. He "just lost it" and hit her with the jack, but didn't remember how many times. He leaned down to talk to her, but there was no reaction.
He tried to flag down a car and phoned 999.
Her family and neighbours arrived and he told them he had found Mrs Hennessy lying on the side of the road. He said he later confessed to gardai.
Mr Hennessy agreed with prosecuting counsel Mr George Birmingham SC that this was the first time anyone had heard this version of events.
All evidence in the trial has now been heard before Mr Justice Finnegan and a jury.
