Man found guilty of manslaughter of 80-year-old Tipperary pensioner

A BURGLAR WHO struck an 80-year-old father of three who caught him stealing tools from the garage shed of his home has been found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

Sean Harding of Marian Terrace, Tipperary town, went on trial in Cork last month charged with the murder of Timothy “Teddy” Murnane at his home in St Michael’s Avenue on 12 September 2025. The jury heard that Mr Murnane had gone out to his garage after hearing a noise.

His wife Margaret found him unconscious and bloodied on the ground near the garage when she went to check on him after he failed to come back in to the house.

The retired bus driver suffered multiple bruises and abrasions to his face, neck and chest as well as a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain. He died in hospital two days later.

Mr Harding (32) had denied murder but pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Teddy Murnane at his home. He also pleaded guilty to three burglary charges.

A jury of seven women and five men at the Central Criminal Court in Cork deliberated for seven hours and 40 minutes before reaching their majority verdict by a margin of 10-2.

Judge Siobhan Lankford thanked them for their service in what she described as a “difficult case”. She excused them from jury service for a period of five years.

Mr Harding was remanded in custody to appear before the court again on Monday 9 November when victim impact statements will be delivered in the case. However, the judge will further adjourn sentencing until a later date.

Meanwhile, the evidence in the case was that Mr Harding had broken in to the garage in order to rob tools. The tools were to be sold to feed his drug habit. He broke down in tears during his garda interviews and insisted that he “never set out to harm anyone.”

Mr Murnane was still alive in hospital when the garda interviews were carried out.

Mr Harding said that he “got a fright” when he realised that there was someone at the door of the garage as he was stealing tools.

“I was right behind the door when I heard the noise. I barged straight through and he hopped off the ground. I kept running. He was coming in the door. I just rushed past him. I pushed him with a shove, as best as I can recall.”

One of the detectives said: “It’s not your form to hit people.” He agreed that it wasn’t his form. Mr Harding was asked if he had anything to say to the Murnane family. He replied: “I am sorry. I hope he is ok…I just saw an opportunity to get tools for drugs.”

State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers carried out a postmortem examination on Mr Murnane at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on 16 September 2025.

She said in evidence that the injuries could not have been sustained from a fall backwards.

“Bruising (to the face) is indicative of blunt force trauma with a fist or an object with a flat surface.”

Mr Murnane looks to have suffered multiple blows to the face and head which accelerated his fall (backwards) to the ground.”

“It caused an acceleration in his fall backwards and he sustained a linear fracture to the skull.”

The jury was told that Mr Murnane suffered a haemorrhage. He never regained consciousness.

Dr Okkers said that if he did not receive the injuries to the front of his face he might not have fallen.

She stated that the fatal injuries were consistent with a single fall backwards with the skull of Mr Murnane forcibly striking the ground.

Meanwhile, the jury also heard evidence from Justin Harding, the older brother of Sean Harding. He said that he felt he had to do the “right thing” and report his younger sibling to gardaí after he “nodded and teared up” when he asked him if he had any involvement in the crime.

He said that his brother had a tendency to go on “robbing sprees” whilst on drugs. He confronted his younger brother Sean on 13 September 2025 amid concern that he might have been involved in what had occurred to Mr Murnane.

At this stage the pensioner was in the intensive care unit at UHL.

Mr Harding said Sean “swore he didn’t do it.”

“I went away and came back. I said, ‘Did you do it?’ He teared up and nodded his head.’

Mr Harding said Sean told him not to tell “the mother” that he “done it.”

He then went to the gardaí to report the conversation he had had with his sibling.

Under cross-examination by defence senior counsel, Dean Kelly, Mr Harding said Sean generally robbed sheds and vans when he was on drugs and that he wasn’t a violent robber.

Mr Kelly read out a portion of Justin Harding’s statement to gardaí. He had told gardaí that Sean had been “robbing sheds all his life. He is fucking stupid.”

The trial also heard evidence from Margaret Murnane, the wife of the deceased. She said when she found her husband lying on the ground there was “blood at the back of his head and blood coming out of his mouth.” She said prayers over him as she awaited the arrival of the emergency services at the scene.