Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KILLER’S TEARS AS HE SAYS SORRY FOR ATTACK
Man, 23, acquitted of murder after drugs row
A MAN who wept giving evidence as he apologised for killing a fellow drug user was yesterday cleared of murder but convicted of his manslaughter.
Jordan Snoddy, 23, claimed he had acted in self-defence after Robert Molloy-jones punched him then tried to steal a bag of Diazepam.
The 30-year-old father of one was found lying in the Parkmount Street area of Tigers Bay, North Belfast, by his girlfriend who had described the scene as “very distressing”.
In a two-week trial at the city’s Crown Court, the jury were told that the two strangers encountered each other on the street on June 28, 2018.
Snoddy was invited into Mr Molloy-jones’ Mountcollyer Avenue flat where they smoked cannabis and before leaving together for Snoddy to get a bag of Diazepam.
After the bag of 50 “blues” had been obtained and as the pair were walking along Parkmount Street, the fatal altercation occurred.
Snoddy said as they approached a set of steps, Mr Molloy-jones punched him to the back of his head which caused him to stumble and he then tried to take the bag of tablets.
The Co Antrim man, whose address is the subject of a reporting restrictions, said he reacted by striking him three times in the face, which caused him to fall back. Snoddy ran to a friend’s house and asked him to call an ambulance, before returning and putting Mr Molloyjones in the recovery position.
Death was caused by a bleed to the surface of the brain caused by a rupture to the vertebral artery, which runs from the spine to the brain. Senior pathologist Professor Jack Crane said the damage would most likely have been “as a result of a blow somewhere in the region of the ear area”.
Snoddy was arrested later that night, but was deemed unfit for interview until the following day.
From the witness box, he broke down in tears and said it was never his intention to kill Mr Molloyjones. He also apologised to both the victim’s family as well as his own.
The jury had heard Mr Molloy-jones was a heavy drugs user who had issues with Diazepam and prior to the attack, Snoddy had consumed beer and taken six Lyrica.
Their deliberations started on Monday afternoon, and at lunchtime yesterday the foreperson delivered a majority 10-to-two verdict.
Judge David Mcfarland said ahead of sentencing, he wanted “statements as to the impact Robert’s death has had on the people who loved him – his family”.
Snoddy was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 4.