A 34-year-old Kilkenny man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court, charged with murdering a 25-year-old man in Waterford last year.

Tadhg Butler, with an address at Seafield in Tramore, Co Waterford is charged with murdering Michael O'Dwyer at that address on 10th January, 2014.

Mr Butler, also known as Thomas O'Grady and originally from Kilkenny, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr O’Dwyer by stabbing him once in the chest.

Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, prosecuting, opened the trial to a jury this morning.

He said that Mr O’Dwyer and two others were in Tramore on the night of 9th January at the invitation of the accused. He said they were drinking.

“At some stage, one of the people present took a knife and put it into the chest of Michael O’Dwyer,” he said.

He said that the emergency services arrived at 11.20pm and found Mr O’Dwyer lying on the ground outside the house. He was taken to Waterford Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead two hours later.

The barrister said that gardai saw the accused outside the house when they arrived, but that he ran back into the house and locked the door. The gardai forced their way in, searched the house, but there was no sign of Mr Butler, he said.

However, he was later arrested on suspicion of assault causing harm to Mr O’Dwyer and taken to Tramore Garda Station.

Mr Vaughan Buckley said that a post-mortem exam found that Mr O’Dwyer had died of a single stab wound to the chest, which had injured his heart and lung.

“I say there’s more than ample evidence on which you can conclude the accused is guilty of murder,” he said.

The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of eight women and four men. It’s expected to last two weeks.