A MAN found guilty of murdering his great-uncle after stabbing him 71 times had a previous conviction for murder.
Direece Roche, 30, stabbed 64-year-old Fintan McDwyer to death as he lay in bed at his home in Fallowfield, Manchester in the early hours of June 30, 2024.
A successful application from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) meant the jury could be told that Roche had previously stabbed a 23-year-old man to death in 2011 when he was 16 years old.
In a statement from Mr McDwyer's family last year, they described him as a 'gentle giant, with a calm and reassuring presence'.
"He had the most wonderful, soft, Irish lilt," it added.
Sustained assault
At around 8.40am on July 1, 2024, Mr McDwyer's son returned to the family home, where he found his father in a pool of blood and alerted the emergency services.
Paramedics found a large wound on Mr McDwyer's neck and numerous stab wounds to his head, neck and body.
A post-mortem later confirmed there were 71 stab wounds in total, which was consistent with a sustained assault.
The wound to his neck and blood loss from the number of other wounds were likely to have been the cause of his death.
The police investigation uncovered CCTV showing Roche, wearing a balaclava, walking to Mr McDwyer's house at around 3.30am.
Mr McDwyer was stabbed 71 times as he lay in bed (Image: Greater Manchester Police)Roche then entered the house through an upstairs window and murdered Mr McDwyer, leaving him for dead.
Footage from a camera used to monitor Mr McDwyer's dog in his front room captured audio, which led investigators to believe the attack lasted for around 90 seconds in total.
Police gathered footage from the area showing Roche jumping over garden fences as he fled the scene.
A torch recovered in a neighbouring garden had Mr McDwyer's blood and traces of Roche's DNA on it, while a smear of Mr McDwyer's blood was also found on a concrete post.
The knife used by Roche, his trainers and his balaclava were never recovered.
'Brutal murder'
Following a police investigation, Roche was arrested on July 6, 2024. He made no comment during his police interview and went on to plead not guilty at court.
Over seven months later, having seen the evidence against him, he admitted killing his uncle but claimed he had intended to steal the dog and was acting in self-defence with a loss of control.
He asserted that it was Mr McDwyer who was armed with a knife.
However, his claims were disproved at trial and on Monday he was convicted of murder. He will be sentenced at a later date.
"Direece Roche planned and carried out the brutal murder of his own relative as he lay in bed," said Nicola Carter, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West.
"Roche attempted to conceal his identity by wearing a balaclava as he walked the streets of Manchester before and after murdering his great-uncle.
"Roche failed to take full responsibility for his actions, pleading not guilty to murder, claiming self-defence and loss of control.
"The Crown Prosecution Service successfully applied for Roche's previous convictions to be put before the jury to show his prior bad character. Roche stabbed a 23-year-old man to death in 2011, when he was 16 years old.
"Having heard all the evidence, the jury convicted Roche of murder.
"While nothing can bring Mr McDwyer back, I hope his family, and in particular his three sons who have had to sit through this trial, can begin to move forward knowing Roche will face the consequences of his actions."
See More: Fintan McDwyer, Manchester
