A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a father of eight who was beaten and shot dead in Co. Offaly.
Ross Allen of Kilmonaghan Lodge in Clara was one of two men who went on trial five weeks ago for Christy Daly’s murder.
The charge against his co-accused was dropped last week.
On January 7th 2014, Mr. Daly’s body was found six feet down a drain near his burnout caravan at Bog Road, just outside Clara.
The 47-year-old had been badly beaten and shot several times.
Mr. Allen’s involvement concerned a bag containing €30k worth of drugs that he’d left in a laneway near Mr. Daly’s home in December 2013.
After suspecting Mr. Daly of taking the drugs, he reported this to the owner – a man referred to as Mr. X. This led to two assassins being brought down from Dublin.
The jurors returned this afternoon having spent over eight and a half hours deliberating and they each found him not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.
The young father of one was remanded in custody ahead of his sentence hearing in July.
