Self-confessed killer Mr Laurence Callaghan told a jury yesterday how he kicked his girlfriend to death but said "justice would be over-stretched" if he was found guilty of murder.
Mr Callaghan told them he attacked the woman because he was full of resentment that she had hidden a £5 cannabis deal and he decided he was "going to stick to my guns on this issue".
In the Central Criminal Court, Mr Callaghan (33), from Crumlin, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter but has denied the murder of Ms Janet Mooney (29).
The crime occurred between September 17th and 19th, 1996, at the flat they shared in Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
The jury heard that both Mr Callaghan and Ms Mooney had a history of alcohol abuse, and both had unsuccessfully tried alcohol rehabilitation programmes.
Mr Erwan Mill Arden SC, said that although they had spent the day drinking, Mr Callaghan was "sober" while Janet Mooney was "stocious" when she returned with two £5 hash deals to Harrington Street on September 17th.
When he saw that one of the hash deals was missing, he challenged her about it, but she was dismissive.
"When I realised that she was after stashing the hash, I was twice as annoyed". He was "totally despondent".
What he then did was totally unjustified, he said, but he "just wanted the hash and just wanted the evening to end in a mellow way". He admitted pulling Ms Mooney's hair, hitting her with a soup bowl and then kicking her.
"I totally went overboard, I tried to impress upon her quick and fast that I wasn't carrying on with this situation", he said. He then went into the bedroom, vomited on the bed and had heart palpitations.
He went back out and had no success in waking her, but at this stage was "full of resentments".
"I went back quickly and kicked her mindlessly", he told Mr Mill Arden.
He saw she was breathing with great difficulty. "I was frightened, enraged and out of control because the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Janet."
He left the flat and went to get cannabis, and later to a pub. He next remembered waking up beside Janet in the morning. The curtains were drawn and it was dark. He had sex with her body, but didn't think anything of her not responding.
It was only afterwards that he thought something was wrong and put on the light.
Cross-examined by Mr Sean Ryan SC, prosecuting, Mr Callaghan said he knew he hadn't murdered Janet, "`because murder is for people who are full of hate".
Shown broken pieces of a soup bowl brought into evidence earlier in the trial, he said, "That's amazing, that's the same design as the bowl I hit Janet with but it's twice the density". He denied it was the same bowl.
The State pathologist's evidence was that Ms Mooney died from multiple injuries caused by kicking. The trial continues.