A teenager has been found guilty of the manslaughter of Matt O’Neill who died 11 days after he was assaulted near his home in Carrigaline, Co Cork.
During the 13 day long trial at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Anglesea Street in Cork, the jury heard evidence from 36 witnesses including John McGovern who was walking through the estate at about 7.30pm when he came upon Mr O’Neill on the ground in front of a car and two men over him. Dr Sheehan, who was with Mr O’Neill for an hour before and after paramedics arrived during which time his condition deteriorated, agreed with defence counsels, Tom Creed SC and Brendan Grehan SC that Mr O’Neill’s head injury could have resulted from his head hitting the ground.
Mr O’Neill’s GP, Dr Eimear McCarthy said that Mr O’Neill suffered generalised anxiety disorder and had a long history of addiction and substance misuse. He told gardaí that he did not mean “to put the feen in a coma – he was walking towards me with the bottle, I hit him before he hit me”.