A Dublin mas has been found not guilty of murdering a former soldier over an alleged noisy house party.
35-year-old Gary Watson of Millbrook Avenue in Kilbarrack, had denied murdering Warren O’Connor at the Hole in the Wall Road, Donaghmede nine years ago.
The murder trial heard there was a party at the Grattan Wood apartment complex in January 2010 with different accounts from witnesses over whether it was noisy or not.
A neighbour Phillip Woodcock removed a fuse and cut power to the apartment so the party would end.
He then went and collected some his friends - along with the deceased man 24-year-old Warren O’Connor - who returned to the apartment where the party was on - and a fight broke out.
This then spilled out onto the carpark of the complex.
Witnesses described seeing one car ramming another and a group of people shouting and fighting.
Warren O’Connor was stabbed once in the neck and died.
After deliberating for over four hours, the jury found the accused man Gary Watson not guilty of murder but they convicted him of the production of a knife and assaulting Phillip Woodcock on the night.
Mr Watson – who denied all charges - gave little reaction when the verdicts were read out while the deceased’s man family cried.
The judge said there was evidence the deceased man was a peacemaker that night who had tried to resolve an issue which caused great tragedy.
