I HIT PENSIONER, 90 BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT GIVE ME MONEY
Court told murder accused rang relative after attack
Paddy Lyons House in Co Waterford Ross Outram A MURDER accused rang a relation and told her he had hit a 90-year-old pensioner because he would not give him money, a jury has heard.
Ross Outram is on trial at the Central Criminal Court accused of killing Paddy Lyons nearly two years ago.
The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering the retired farmer at Loughleagh, Ballysaggart, Lismore, Co Waterford, between February 23 and 26, 2017.
Giving evidence yesterday, Sandra Walsh told prosecutor John O’kelly she lives in Carrick-on-suir and her partner is Gary O’brien – his nephew is the accused, the court heard.
The witness testified she would only meet Outram when she visited his mother.
The witness agreed with Mr O’kelly she had received a phone call from the accused on Facebook Messenger at 6.19pm on February 26.
Outram was looking for a number for her partner Mr O’brien who was in the UK at the time, she said, as he [the accused] wanted to go there.
Ms Walsh said she asked Outram what was wrong and he replied by asking her if she had seen “about the man” on the news.
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The witness told Outram she had seen the news on Facebook. The accused then told her he would ring her back on another number.
Ms Walsh said she asked Outram on this phone call what was wrong or what was going on. The witness said he had replied: “I hit the man because he wouldn’t give me money.”
She asked the accused if this was the man that had died in Waterford and he said it was, she claimed.
Outram, of Ferryland, Waterford Road, Clonmel, mentioned to Ms Walsh “about going on a boat to the UK” and asked her if she would bring him to the boat in Rosslare, she said, adding she did not reply.
Ms Walsh told the court she later rang a sergeant stationed in Clonmel to report what Outram had told her.
She said she went to the accused’s house the next day and he asked her to bring him into town to get something to eat. Ms Walsh was driving back towards Ferryland with Outram when her car was stopped by gardai and he was arrested, she said.
Earlier, paramedic David Galvin said he got a call from ambulance control in connection with a man who had suffered a cardiac arrest in Ballysaggart.
There was some blood on the deceased’s scalp as well as dried blood on his hands, said the witness.
The trial continues today before Mr Justice Paul Coffey and a jury.