A man accused of the murder of Irish pensioner John Mackey in London has been found guilty.
Peter Augustine, 59, had denied the charges against him and was not present in court today.
In a unanimous verdict, the 12-person jury found him guilty of murder and robbery.
Mr Mackey was originally from Callan, Co Kilkenny, but had lived in London for most of his life.
His family members burst into tears upon hearing the verdict in the Old Bailey in London.
Augustine is due to be sentenced on 28 November.
Augustine’s barrister, Jenni Dempster KC, requested that Belmarsh prison pass on news of his guilty verdict to him.
In closing remarks, Judge Sarah Whitehouse paid tribute to the “dignity” of the Mackey family.
“I would like to thank you for the very dignified way you have sat through this trial.”
“All of you have behaved impeccably, and the court is most grateful to you,” she said.
Yesterday, Augustine was excluded from the court due to disruption and a failure to answer questions put to him in the witness box.
He shouted several times at people in the court, and also insisted that he would not be returning to the courtroom.
Augustine was alleged to have attacked Mr Mackey on 6 May, inflicting blunt force impacts to the pensioner’s head and chest. Augustine insists he never harmed the pensioner.
“I took the bag and I ran,” he shouted several times in court.
When Augustine was arrested at the Beaconsfield Hotel on 8 May, empty containers matching the groceries purchased by John Mackey were found in Augustine’s hotel room. The food appeared to have been eaten.
In a police interview, Augustine claimed that he picked the grocery bag off the ground after it was blown by the wind.
However, in court this week, he told the jury that he was lying during that police interview.
He said that he took the bag out of John Mackey’s hand and ran.
John Mackey died from blunt force impacts to his head and chest, the court heard
Augustine insisted that he did not harm Mr Mackey and did not see the 87-year-old fall to the ground.
In separate evidence, a forensic pathologist told the court that John Mackey suffered traumatic brain injuries associated with kicking and stamping.
Dr Matthew Cieka found that Mr Mackey suffered multiple bruises and abrasions to his head, neck, back, arms and chest.
He also had two fractured ribs.
The impact to Mr Mackey caused his brain to shift multiple times in his skull, the court heard.
There was evidence that Mr Mackey had Alzheimer’s disease. However, there was no underlying condition found that would have caused his death.
Dr Cieka concluded that John Mackey died from blunt force impacts to his head and chest.