A 25-year-old man has gone on trial for the murder of a Kilkenny postmaster in December last year.
Shu Shen with an address at The Old Rectory, New Ross in Co Wexford pleaded not guilty to the murder of 32-year-old Alan Cunniffe.
His plea of guilty to manslaughter was not accepted by the DPP.
Opening the case, Alex Owens SC said that on 6 December 2006 Shu Shen took a bus from Dublin to Kilkenny armed with an air pistol and a knife. The air pistol had been altered to allow it to discharge bullets and which had been loaded.
The prosecution says he went there with the intention of robbing the post office at John's Green in Kilkenny.
He held up the staff in the post office at 12pm and made away with more than €13,000 in cash.
As Shu Shen was leaving with the cash in a holdall, the postmaster Alan Cunniffe arrived at the door.
He chased Shu Shen and eventually caught up with him.
Mr Cunniffe tried to grab the bag off Shu Shen and was shot in the abdomen. He died in hospital at 3pm that afternoon.
Shu Shen tried to escape but was arrested shortly after the shooting.
The trial is expected to last six days.
