Former pupil admits manslaughter of schoolboy in playground incident
A MAN will be sentenced next month after admitting the unlawful killing of a teenager in a school playground incident in Northern Ireland.
Oisin McGrath (13), from Belcoo in Co Fermanagh, died in February 2015.
The schoolboy passed away four days after suffering serious head injuries at St Michael’s College in Enniskillen.
Yesterday Francis McDermott (20), who was a sixth-form pupil at the school at the time, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
The development came during a hearing in Dungannon. Oisin died in hospital on February 9,
2015 from head injuries four days after the incident over a football in the grounds of the college where he and McDermott, who was 17 at the time, were pupils.
Members of the McGrath family, including the schoolboy’s parents Nigel and Sharon, were in court yesterday to watch McDermott, of Camphill Park, New- townbutler, acknowledge his guilt. Defence QC Martin Rodgers told Judge Stephen Fowler QC that he had “an application for your honour to direct that the defendant be rearraigned on the one count on the bill of indictment”.
After the charge of manslaughter was put to McDermott, the engineering university student, dressed in a dark suit, replied: “Guilty.”
Mr Rodgers then successfully applied for McDermott to be released on continuing bail of £500 while pre-sentence and other reports are compiled.
Freeing him, Judge Fowler warned McDermott that being granted bail was no indication of how he would deal with the case. Prosecuting QC Ciaran Murphy said that it was his intention to obtain victim impact statements from Oisin’s family and how his death had affected them.
Members of the McGrath family then left court, not wishing to comment on the latest development.
In the days following the teenager’s death it was reported that his family had allowed his organs to be used to save the lives of five other people.
Oisin’s parents later set up a trust in their son’s name and memory, aimed at raising awareness in organ donation and brain injury research.
McDermott will be sentenced next month.