Michael Scott jailed for manslaughter of aunt in Galway

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Michael Scott was jailed for six years for the manslaughter of his aunt Christina ‘Chrissie’ Treacy, who died after he reversed an agricultural teleporter over her outside her home in Derryhiney, Co Galway, on 27 April 2018. The sentencing proceedings were reported on 26 June 2023.

Scott pleaded not guilty to murder. A jury found him not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter on the basis of gross negligence. The verdict was reported on 30 March 2023.

The prosecution alleged that Scott deliberately reversed over Ms Treacy following a long-running dispute over land. His defence was that her death was a tragic accident while he was reversing across the yard.

Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said Scott had failed to consider the risk of reversing the machine across the yard with his view obstructed. She set a headline sentence of eight years and reduced it to six years after considering mitigating factors, including his more recent expression of remorse.