The Central Criminal Court has heard that a young man claims he was trying to protect his mother from her abusive partner when he killed the man in 2017.
Alexander Whelan will be sentenced early next month for the manslaughter of Bruno Rolandi at their home in Ballymoran, Edenderry, Co Offaly.
On November 19th 2017, the court heard Alexander Whelan was 17-years-old when he witnessed his mother being grabbed by Bruno Rolandi in their living room.
He told gardaí they were always arguing, and he claimed to have witnessed her being choked by him on one occasion.
On the day in question, a fight broke out between his older brother and Mr Rolandi, and he said he just lost it and stabbed him with a kitchen knife.
Gardaí who arrived at the scene said he was “white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf”. He was physically ill at one point, and took full responsibility.
In his plea for leniency, his barrister Michael Bowman said it happened in the blink of an eye.
He described his client as “overprotective” of his mother and brother, and said he felt overwhelmed and sprang to his mother’s defence with tragic consequences.
He asked the judge to take his age into account.
Mr Rolandi’s sister Christina travelled from Italy to be in court today.
She described her brother as a “kind and soft-natured man”.
Whelan will be sentenced for manslaughter on March 2nd.
Reporting by Frank Greaney
