Paul Greenan (19) was caught when a friend of the victim arrived rapidly on the scene in response to her mobile phone call.
Greenan denies murder but will admit manslaughter, the jury at the Royal Court was told.
Opening the prosecution’s case, Crown Advocate Cyril Whelan said that the defence would argue that Greenan had a personality disorder which resulted in diminished responsibility, but in fact his judgment had been impaired only by drinking ten to 12 pints of lager on the day of the attack.
He told the jury that the defendant admitted attempting to rape and then killing the 35-year-old woman, but he denied murdering her in Paris Lane, First Tower, on 14 March 2004.
The defence will call on expert witnesses to argue that Greenan, originally of Belfast, has a personality disorder which diminished his responsibility for the killing.
Advocate Whelan explained that the defence would try to convince the jury that this ‘abnormality of mind’ was such that Greenan was guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter and not murder.
However, he informed the jury that if someone attacked a person intending to cause her ‘really serious harm’, and the victim died, then in law that was murder.
‘The accused killed her,’ he said.
‘She was found with her trousers and underwear partly down.
When he was caught at the scene, the accused was found with his trousers unbuttoned and partly down.’ He added: ‘Caught red-handed, the accused admits killing Tracy Burns.
He admits that he attacked her, meaning to rape her.
He admits using violence on her, kicking her in the head for a reason, namely in order to silence her when she called for help and so that he could escape.’ The trial continues.
