Courts

Man pleads guilty to murdering ‘vulnerable’ Chinese pensioner with axe

Oliver Doran (24) changes plea to guilty, asking victim’s family for forgiveness

Gardaí at the apartment where Kwok Ping Cheng’s body was found in 2021. Photograph: Collins

Fiona Magennis
Tue Jan 17 2023 - 15:14

A man has pleaded guilty to murdering a pensioner with an axe in the livingroom of the “vulnerable” man’s home.

Oliver Doran (24), with an address at Sophia Housing, Cork Street, Dublin 8, had initially pleaded not guilty to the murder of Kwok Ping Cheng (76) at Robinson’s Court, Cork Street, Dublin 8 on a date between April 28th and 29th, 2021.

But on the third day of his trial at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, Michael Bowman SC for Doran told Mr Justice David Keane the accused wished to change his plea to guilty following discussions with his legal team.

He said Doran wished to apologise to Mr Cheng’s family for what had happened and asked for their forgiveness. Counsel said his client was pleading guilty in the hope of giving the family some closure. He said the defendant had provided his lawyers with a letter on Monday and asked that it be given to Mr Cheng’s family.

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Doran was rearraigned on the charge of murder and pleaded guilty in front of the jury that had been sworn in to hear his trial. Anne-Marie Lawlor SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said the plea was accepted by the State.

Mr Bowman said the defendant had taken “a very unusual step” in a situation where he was very conscious of the pain and suffering he had visited on the victim’s family. He said a probation report may be appropriate in the case given drink and drugs had been consumed.

Mr Justice Keane agreed and directed that a probation report and victim impact statements be prepared. He remanded Doran in custody to April 19th for sentencing.

The court previously heard that Mr Cheng was originally from China but had lived in Ireland for some time and has family here. He was known to friends as ‘Chinese George’ and lived in sheltered accommodation. The jury was told that Mr Cheng died as a result of “multiple traumatic injuries” including a fractured skull and arm, chop wounds, bruises and lacerations.

In her opening address to the jury, Ms Lawlor said Doran was interviewed by gardaí following the murder and told investigating officers he killed Mr Cheng with an axe he had brought from his own home. She said he had indicated that he did not remember a lot of what occurred because he had taken an intoxicant.

Doran accepted he caused the death of Mr Cheng with an axe, that he fled the next day and that he initially went to Northern Ireland and later to England, counsel added.

Witness James Ellis told how he found the pensioner’s body “covered in blood” in his sheltered accommodation on the morning of April 29th, 2021, at about 10am. He told Ms Lawlor that he called out to Mr Cheng after he saw his body but “I knew he was dead”.

“As I backed out, I could see the place was ransacked. I said a quick prayer and called the emergency services,” he said.

Evidence was also heard from State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers who said Mr Cheng suffered multiple broken bones and wounds that exposed his skull and underlying bones. She said the most severe injuries were the scalp lacerations and these were most likely caused by an axe which had been shown to her at the scene.

Dr Okkers told the jury that Mr Cheng’s cause of death was hypovolemic shock as a result of blood loss due to multiple injuries.

On Monday, Det Garda Aidan Smylie told Ms Lawlor that CCTV showed the movements of Mr Cheng and the defendant on April 28th and 29th, 2021. It showed the pensioner returning to his home at 6.42pm. He did not emerge again.

The footage showed Doran exiting Sophia Housing at 9.45pm and entering Robinson’s Court a short time later, the detective garda said. He appeared to have something under his jacket.

Doran entered Mr Cheng’s home and spent one hour and 13 minutes in the flat before leaving via the front door.

The detective said that Doran appeared to drop “an axe-like tool” on the ground and when he attempted to retrieve it, he fell over. He said Doran put the tool back inside his jacket and walked away unsteadily.

He again entered Mr Cheng’s home through the rear window shortly after 1am and spent seven minutes in the flat before exiting and returning to Sophia Housing, Det Garda Smylie said.

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