A 47-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the murder of well-known Kilbeggan horse trader Christy Hanley.
The trial of Noel Cawley got under way yesterday (Thursday ) in the Central Criminal Court.
Mr Cawley, of no fixed abode, but with a previous address at Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, denied murdering Mr Hanley on May 21 2008, and also to robbing him of an unknown amount of money on the same date.
Christy Hanley, who was well-known locally as a horse breeder and trader, was found dead in his home on Bridge Street, Kilbeggan on May 22 last year. He had suffered a number of injuries which contributed to his death.
The 83-year-old’s body was discovered by gardai, with his hands and feet tied, after an early morning anonymous phonecall was placed to Tullamore Garda Station.
The jury were told that a man matching Mr Cawley’s description was seen talking to Mr Hanley in two pubs in Kilbeggan on May 21 last year.
Mr Hanley went home at approximately 6pm. A man fitting the description of Mr Cawley was seen emerging from the area of Mr Hanley’s home around 20 minutes later.
The trial, which commenced yesterday, will be heard in front of a jury of nine men and three women and is expected to take two weeks.
