A young man has been handed a life sentence for the murder of a 90-year-old pensioner whom he beat to death in his home in Waterford.
Ross Outram of Ferryland, Waterford Road, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary claimed he was fighting back when he beat the retired farmer two years ago.
The prosecution claimed Ross Outram killed Paddy Lyons during a violent robbery at his home sometime between Feb 23rd and Feb 26th 2017.
The then 26 year old told Gardaí he had taken 100 Xanax tablets on the day in question but there was no evidence to support his claim.
He further claimed that Mr. Lyons, a retired farmer who was 90 at the time of his death and only had one fully-functional arm, was the aggressor.
The jury disagreed and convicted him of murder after three and a half hours.
During the trial, the court heard harrowing details of the injuries suffered by Mr. Lyons, who was found slumped in an armchair in his home.
He had been beaten across the head with some sort of blunt weapon. His hip joint, jawbone and ribs were all broken.
Following today’s verdict, Outram expressed his remorse through his barrister.
A victim impact statement read by Mr. Lyons’ former carer described him as a well respected and religious man who was friendly and trusting.
Outram was then handed the mandatory life sentence for murder.
