A man who stabbed his neighbour to death in Co. Dublin told Gardai he thought about killing the man’s young grandchildren too.

Dragos Nica of Mourne Park in Skerries has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Michael Gannon by reason of insanity.

While looking after his grandchildren at his daughter’s home in Skerries on Nov 14th 2013, Michael Gannon was stabbed in the chest after answering the door to Dragos Nica, who was arrested at his family home next door soon afterwards.

He told Gardai he was in a relationship with Mr. Gannon’s daughter and that he killed her father because she’d “zapped” his finger with a poison, and he thought he was going to die.

While looking in her sitting room window that day, he said he thought about killing her children too -- they were five and nine at the time.

He said he planned on going on a rampage because he wanted to kill as many people as he could, but that his anger left him after the stabbing.

The court heard the children were in the front room when their grandfather fell back into the corridor, and that Mr. Nica was worried they might have seen what happened.

The 31-year-old admits stabbing Mr. Gannon but has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.