The jury in the trial of a young man accused of the murder of a local fisherman in Co Waterford has retired to begin its deliberations.
Dean Kerrie, who now lives in Portarlington, Co Laois, claims he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Jack Power in his home in Dunmore East in July 2018.
At the outset of this trial, the jurors were told they would likely have to consider the issue of self-defence, given the circumstances in which Jack Power entered the Kerrie family home in the early hours of July 26th 2018.
During the trial, they heard Dean Kerrie, who was just 17 years old at the time, was arrested at the scene and told Gardaí that Jack was in the hall and grabbed his mother.
He claimed he was punching and swinging kicks so he grabbed a knife that was next to bed and stabbed him with it.
On a 999 call made a little earlier, Dean told the operator that Mr Power had come in the front door at him and tried to hit him. He said he didn’t mean to kill him.
However, Mr Power’s best friend, who was outside the house that night, denied that Jack had forced his way into the house, accusing Dean of telling lies to get away with it. He claimed Dean deliberately killed him.
The jury was sent out to begin its deliberations just before lunchtime.
