A 37-year-old alcoholic who beat and kicked a father-of-one in a row over a housing cheque will be sentenced for his manslaughter tomorrow.
Kenneth Parker (37) of King Street, Cobh, Co Cork pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 40-year-old Sean Twomey at his flat on Tyrconnell Road in Inchicore, Dublin on February 21st, 2004.
Parker who was homeless had been offered accommodation by Mr Twomey before the attack took place.
Det Inspector Jody Crowe today told Central Criminal Court that Parker did not have a place to stay and that Mr Twomey had spoken to his landlord and arranged a room for him in the house.
Mr Twomey had filled out paperwork on behalf of Parker and a rent allowance payment was being paid directly to the landlord.
Michael O'Higgins SC, prosecuting, told the court that Parker believed Mr Twomey was pulling "some sort of fast one" but Det Insp Crowe agreed his perception had been wrong.
Det Insp Crowe said Parker was of this belief when he assaulted Mr Twomey after coming into the flat from a drinking session with two friends.
He said they had accosted Mr Twomey - who was 5 ft 3 and weighed around 9 stone - and beat him over the course of the next hour. He had also been tied up using a necktie.
The State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy found Mr Twomey had eleven separate marks and abrasions, four on his head and seven or eight on his body.
She said the injuries were likely to have been caused by kicks and punches and Det Insp Crowe also said there had been some mention of cans of food being thrown at the victim.
A ligature had been applied to his arm and was found at the scene whilst a tie was still around his wrist.
Dr Cassidy also found a mark on the victim's neck indicating some degree of strangulation.
She said Mr Twomey would have been more vulnerable than normal to developing serious complications as a result of his head injuries and that the neck trauma could have been a secondary or complicating factor in his death.
Mr Twomey was left lying on his bed in the flat following the assault, which took place on a Saturday. He was found lying face down on Tuesday night.
Mr O'Higgins told Mr Justice Paul Carney that Parker had left a note on a shoebox at the scene. In it he apologised, said he hoped the victim would be all right and that the "box" would not come between them.
The deceased's brother Michael Twomey told the court his brother's death had had a devastating effect on him and his family. He said his brother was a "real sociable person" with a "real good side to his nature".
He described his brother as "frail" and said he could have offered no resistance whatsoever to the assault that claimed his life.
"He helped this man out, gave him a roof over his head and to die in the circumstances he died - he didn't need to be tied up like that," he said.
"Mr Parker, whatever sentence he gets for this, it means nothing to me, even if he gets 40 minutes in custody."
Mr Twomey's 18-year-old son was also in court and Mr O'Higgins said he had also been very adversely affected by the killing.
Mr Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, apologised on behalf of his client, who he said wished to express his deepest regret.
Parker has 27 previous convictions in the UK and Ireland for crimes including assault, robbery, assaulting police officers and breaches of public order.
Mr Hartnett said he had accepted what he did in this case was mean and totally wrong but there was evidence Mr Twomey's previous injuries had made him more susceptible to the effects of the attack.
He said his client, who had a drink problem, had made a full admission and had never intended to cause serious harm to Mr Twomey.
Mr Justice Paul Carney adjourned the case until tomorrow morning when he will pass sentence.