Courts / Sligo / Report

Man admits to unlawful killing of Tom Niland five days into trial

Summary

A man has pleaded guilty to the unlawful killing of Tom Niland at the Central Criminal Court, five days into his trial. John Irving, aged 31, of Shanwar, Foxford, County Mayo, changed his plea on the morning of July 17th. He is the third person to admit to manslaughter in connection with the death of the 73-year-old, who was assaulted at his home near Skreen, County Sligo on January 18th, 2022. Mr Niland suffered serious injuries including brain bleeding, facial fractures and multiple broken ribs during the attack. He was placed on life support but died from complications of his injuries twenty months later. Francis Harman and John Clarke had previously pleaded guilty to the same offence. The Director of Public Prosecutions indicated the guilty plea to manslaughter satisfied the prosecution's case. Justice Eileen Creedon discharged the jury and adjourned sentencing to October 13th, pending victim impact statements and psychological reports.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man admits to unlawful killing of Tom Niland five days into trial. Charges or matters: the same offence last week. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 13 Adjournment
• January 18, 2022 Incident
• January 20 Other
• January 26 Other
• 2025-07-17 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report