The trial of a man accused of murdering the mother of his children has heard he told gardaí he killed her after she accused him of being a bad father.
Danny Keena of Empor, Ballynacargy in Co Westmeath admits killing Brigid Maguire in November 2015 but says he did not intend to do so.
Brigid Maguire had been with Mr Keena since the 1990s and they had two children together.
But their relationship turned sour over the years and just five weeks before her death, she moved out of their home into rented accommodation with their teenage children.
On the evening of November 14th 2015, their daughter arrived home to find her mother’s body on the floor of her bedroom.
A post mortem established she had been strangled.
With the help of Mr Keena's brothers, Garda Seamus O’Neill said he found the accused at his friend's house.
He said he looked dishevelled and wet.
When he asked him what happened, he said Mr Keena told him he killed Brigid after she told him he was a bad father.
He went on to say he tried to revive her and admitted he should have called an ambulance but just panicked.
The trial continues.
