Sean Ducque found guilty of murder; prison officers wearing stab vests take him from court
A man who claimed he was provoked into shooting his friend outside an apartment complex in Dublin has been found guilty of his murder.
Sean Ducque of no fixed abode admitted firing the shots that killed Kieran Farrelly in October 2014 but claimed he lost control after being threatened.
Seven prison officers – four of whom were wearing stab vests - surrounded Sean Ducque when the jury returned with its verdict just before 3pm.
Earlier in the trial, Ducque told the jury he just lost control when Kieran Farrelly threatened to punch the head off him if he didn’t hand over some cash and a mobile phone he’d stolen from a taxi driver at gunpoint on the night in question – October 26th 2014.
He said he shot him twice with a shotgun. The court had heard how Ducque has shot the dead man in the chest before reloading and shooting him in the head.
Ducque’s former partner was also outside the Killarney Court flats that night and her evidence contradicted his account when she said he planned on giving Mr. Farrelly a hiding for slapping his girlfriend. She said she heard Kieran begging for his life after the first shot was fired.
The jury rejected Ducque’s defence of provocation and found him guilty of murder after deliberating for two hours and 44 minutes.
His sentence hearing will take place next month.
