Manslaughter sentencing: Tipperary family describes 'huge void' after Teddy Murnane's death
The family of 80-year-old Timothy 'Teddy' Murnane told a sentencing hearing his "extremely violent" death left an irreplaceable void. Sean Harding faces sentencing on 14 December.
Tipperary family speaks of grief and fear at Harding sentencing hearing
The family of 80-year-old Timothy 'Teddy' Murnane told a Dublin court on Monday that his "extremely violent" death had left a "huge void" in their lives, as a sentencing hearing began for the man convicted of his manslaughter, RTÉ News reports.
Sean Harding, of Marian Terrace in Tipperary town, was last week found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Murnane during a burglary at the deceased's home on St Michael's Avenue, Tipperary town, on 12 September 2025. Harding, who has 141 previous convictions, had originally pleaded not guilty to murder while admitting manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary — two at St Michael's Avenue on 12 September and a third at another address on the same street between 11 and 12 September.
Victim impact statements from three of Mr Murnane's children were read aloud by Karl Finnegan SC, Senior Counsel for the prosecution, during Monday's hearing.
Mr Murnane's son Patrick wrote that discovering his father on the night of the attack was "the hardest day of my life". He said his father had worked throughout his life to provide financial and emotional support to the family, "until a criminal took it all away". He described the death as "extremely violent" and said he would not wish what happened on another person.
His daughter Rachel said the death had left an enormous void, and that the family had expected their father — who had been in good health — to remain in their lives for many more years. Christmas, she said, had been permanently altered and had become a painful reminder of his absence.
Rachel also described how her sense of safety had been fundamentally changed. Security cameras have since been installed at the family home on St Michael's Avenue, yet the property no longer felt like a place of security. Routine activities such as going for a run had become difficult; if she found herself alone, she would turn and leave. She said she struggled to accept the fear her father must have felt before he died, and that the image used to identify him after his death would haunt her permanently. She now sees the injuries he sustained every night before she falls asleep.
Mr Murnane's youngest son Timothy, who lives in Canada, wrote that what had been taken from the family "can't be measured". The family had planned a surprise visit to his home in Canada for Christmas 2025; that trip instead became, in his words, "the saddest Christmas he could imagine". He said his father's death had severely affected his daily life, leaving him with stress and a sleep disorder, and that he had placed his career advancement on hold indefinitely because of ongoing grief and anger. "I get distracted by the deep sorrow and outrage of that night," he wrote. He also noted that he still instinctively tries to call his father to talk about his day or about hurling, and that Mr Murnane had been robbed of the chance to meet his first great-grandchild, a baby girl due in December. Timothy also warned the court that the family feared Harding's eventual release, in part because he could again live close to his mother, whose home is near the Murnane family.
In his sentencing submission, prosecution Senior Counsel Karl Finnegan argued that the appropriate headline sentence for Harding fell between 10 and 15 years, towards the higher end of that range. He noted that the manslaughter took place during a burglary at the victim's own home, that there was no question of provocation by Mr Murnane or of self-defence by Harding, and that Mr Murnane had sustained multiple injuries to the head — meaning this was not, in Finnegan's words, a "one-punch fatality". He also highlighted Mr Murnane's attempts to defend himself and the significant age gap between the two men: Harding was 31 at the time; Mr Murnane was 80.
Defence Senior Counsel Dean Kelly acknowledged Harding's high culpability but argued for a sentence at the medium or lower end of the range. He characterised the case as, in effect, an assault manslaughter, pointing out that Harding had not armed himself with a weapon despite having the opportunity to do so, and that there was no prior history of violence or cruelty towards Mr Murnane. Of Harding's 141 previous convictions, Kelly noted, only one related to assault under section two. Kelly also cited Harding's guilty plea to manslaughter, his admissions to gardaí, his expressions of remorse and his cooperation with the investigation.
Kelly told the court that Harding was "the black sheep" of an otherwise law-abiding family and had struggled with drug addiction since the age of 15. He relapsed following the death of his own father in 2024 and used drugs "destructively" throughout 2025. Since entering custody, Kelly said, Harding had "transformed himself to a significant degree": he holds a perfect disciplinary record at Limerick Prison, works as a cleaner, attends counselling and intends to pursue education. Kelly also noted that Harding now faces watching his children grow up from a distance while serving his sentence.
Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford adjourned the case until 14 December, when Harding is due to be sentenced.
Source: RTÉ News