Teenager who stabbed Urantsetseg Tserendorj “wanted to rob her, not kill her,” according to the murder trial

The teenager who stabbed Urantsetseg Tserendorj intended to rob her, not kill her, and should be convicted of manslaughter rather than murder, his lawyer told the Central Criminal Court.

Lawyers for the Public Prosecutor’s Office (DPP) and the 16-year-old defendant made their brief closing speeches at the trial this morning.

Ms. Judge Mary Ellen Ring will continue her prosecution before the jury this afternoon before the seven women and five men can begin considering their verdict.

Michael O’Higgins SC, for the defendant, said that although his client was only 14 at the time of the murder, he developed a drug addiction and went out stealing money to buy drugs. He asked the jury to look at security camera footage of the attack and determine whether the fatal injury to the deceased’s neck could have been an accident.

Sean Gillane SC of the DPP said a person who stabs someone in the neck can only intend to cause serious harm.

“That’s the only logical conclusion in a cold analysis of the facts,” he said, adding, “The verdict is guilty of murder.”

The defendant, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Tserendorj but pleaded guilty to her manslaughter on January 29, 2021. The state did not accept his plea.

He has also pleaded guilty to making a knife and attempting to rob Ms Tserendorj on a walkway between George’s Dock and Custom House Quay at the IFSC in Dublin on January 20, 2021.