22-year-old admits killing man found dead in flat
A 22-YEAR-old man yesterday admitted unlawfully killing Padraig Fox.
The 29-year-old was found dead in a flat in the Burrendale Park area of Newcastle last December.
Two cousins appeared at Downpatrick Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, and entered guilty pleas to offending dating back to December 8 last year.
Donach Rice, from Kilkeel Road in Annalong, had five charges put to him and entered guilty pleas to all the offences.
The 22-year-old admitted the manslaughter of Mr Fox on December 8 last year, and two charges of perverting the course of justice — namely that he made a false statement to police regarding Mr Fox’s death on the same date and also that he submitted himself to the infliction of an injury with a knife following the assault on Padraig Fox to create the false impression that the killing had been committed in self-defence.
Rice also admitted fraud by false representation on the same day by presenting a betting slip belonging to someone else to Toal’s Bookmaker to make a gain for himself or cause a loss to Toal’s, and a charge of common assault.
Also in the dock was his 21-year-old cousin Nathan Rice, from Saul Street in Downpatrick, who was charged with and admitted perverting the course of justice.
He pleaded guilty to making and signing a written statement of evidence to the PSNI on December 8 last year during the course of an investigation into the death of Padraig Fox which he knew to be false.
At a previous court hearing in September, Nathan Rice admitted breaking into the Slieve Donard Hotel on December 8 last year and stealing three bottles of alcohol.
A third man, a 27-year-old co-accused, is due to appear in court next week.
After the two defendants entered their pleas, they were informed by Mr Justice Colton that they would be sentenced in January.
Donach Rice was remanded back into custody while Nathan Rice was released on continuing bail.