A man was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of his father at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
A jury of seven women and four men took less than two hours to reach the verdict in the trial of Gary Waters (31), who denied the murder of his father Mr John Waters (59) at his flat in Oliver Bond House, Dublin, on December 29th, 2001.
Waters wept when the verdict was read out and his sisters and extended family cried "Yes, yes" from the public gallery. Mr Waters's mother died nine years ago and a brother was stabbed to death seven years ago.
Outside the court afterwards, one of Waters's sisters said she was "thrilled" with the verdict. "He should never have been there in the first place."
The jury heard that Mr John Waters had admitted sexually abusing his daughters to the accused man on the night of his death and had provoked his son into attacking him.
He was talking in a "flippant manner" to his son about sexually abusing his daughters when they were children, Garda Liam Tobin told the court. "He told Gary he just fondled them, never penetrated them, that his brothers did it too," the garda said. "Gary said the way his father was talking made him 'lose the head'."
In a statement to gardaí, he said: "I just wanted to shut him up, there was a scuffle. I think I stabbed him again when he was lying down. I honestly don't know how many times. I didn't plan it, I feel terrible now."
Prosecuting counsel, Mr Ciaran O'Loughlin SC, said a defence of provocation did not allow for a "cooling down" period. "He seems to have attacked Mr Waters in the chair first. Then blood splashes were found on the skirting boards, indicating he was lying on the floor.
"He seems to have followed Mr Waters down to the ground. The 19 stab wounds were inflicted on one of the most vulnerable parts of the body." Cause of death was "multiple stab wounds to the neck".
Several gardaí testified Gary Waters had called 999 immediately after the assault and "was in a very distressed state" when they arrived at the scene.
Two of his sisters confirmed they were sexually abused by their father as children.
Defence counsel, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, told the jury Waters's parents separated when he was two years old and his older sister was "more like a mother figure" to him since then.
Mr Justice O'Higgins remanded Waters in custody until January 13th when he will set a date for sentencing.