A 49-year-old man accused of murdering a 60-year-old widow in Bandon in Co Cork last year told gardaí he never meant to kill her, 'but he did it'.
Oliver Hayes of Clancool Terrace, Bandon, denies the murder of Anne Corcoran between 19-21 January of last year but admits manslaughter.
The jury has been told that Mrs Corcoran was abducted and beaten by the accused man who dumped her body and set it on fire.
They were told Mr Hayes cleaned out her bank accounts and used the money to pay bills and take a skiing holiday.
The jury saw footage today of a garda interview with Oliver Hayes, carried out on 5 February 2009.
In it, he admits that Mrs Corcoran, who had been missing since 19 January, was dead.
Asked how he knew she was dead, he said: 'Because I did it'.
Mr Hayes told gardaí that he never meant to do it but he did it.
He said he never hurt anyone in his life, and was sorry after doing it.
He said he went to Mrs Corcoran's house at around 5.30pm on 19 January and waited for her to come home. He then grabbed her from behind as she went in her door and asked her for money.
He said she would not give him money and said she did not have any. He said he told her he would take her away until she gave him money and he put her in boot of her car.
He told gardaí he drove around for a while and stopped in a number of places to ask Mrs Corcoran for her pin number for her bank card.
He said she would not give it to him so he thought of going to his place where he tied her up with dog leads he found in her car.
After she eventually gave him the pin number, he said he wanted to knock her out so he hit her with a board.
He said when that did not have any effect he hit her with another board that was a bit heavier. He then went to her house, retrieved her bank card and fed her dogs.
He came back to his house and went downstairs where he stayed for the rest of the night.
He said in the morning he went upstairs and she was dead.
Earlier, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the court that Mrs Corcoran died from blunt force trauma to the head associated with asphyxia with a gag.
She said Mrs Corcoran's body was burned after her death.
