A 34 YEAR OLD man pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to the manslaughter of his lifelong friend following an argument over a soccer match.
Judge Joseph Mathews described it a "sad and tragic case in human terms". He said the victim, Mr Joseph Flood, had been friends with the defendant, Alan Kelly, since school. In his statement to gardai, Kelly said: "I've just lost my best friend and I'm devastated."
Judge Mathews requested a victim impact reports on Mr Flood's parents for the sentence hearing on March 20th.
Kelly, of Congress Gardens, Glasthule, Co Dublin, admitted the unlawful killing of Mr Flood at George's Street, Dun Laoghaire, early on August 29th, 1995. The previous evening a Manchester United Blackburn Rovers tie had been screened on television.