Wife and son recount finding pensioner unconscious during murder trial

At the Central Criminal Court in Cork, Margaret Murnane testified that she found her husband, 80‑year‑old Teddy Murnane, unconscious on the garage floor after hearing a noise outside.

Mrs Murnane said she placed him in the recovery position, called her son Patrick and thought he had suffered a bad fall. She described seeing blood at the back of his head and from his mouth.

Patrick Murnane arrived about five to ten minutes later and found his mother leaning over his unconscious father. He called 999, initially assuming a fall, but noted a lit garage, scattered tools and a black holdall bag that did not belong to the family, prompting him to suggest a possible break‑in.

Paramedic Mark Williams confirmed the victim was unresponsive, with swelling around his right eye, blood and vomit in his mouth. Sergeant Chris McGrath reported a large pool of blood on the path, a pillow under the head and a blanket over the body.

Charges and trial details

Seán Harding, 32, of Marian Terrace, Tipperary Town, denied murder but pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Teddy Murnane, being convicted of manslaughter for the incident on 12 September 2025. He also admitted three burglary‑related charges.

Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford expressed sympathy to Mrs Murnane at the close of her evidence.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels.