The jury in the Mitchelstown murder trial returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder and guilty of manslaughter after six hours and 11 minutes of deliberation.

Prosecution counsel in the Mitchelstown murder trial told the jury there was ample evidence for a guilty verdict but the defence said the jury could not be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt as there was “doubt all over the place”.

A suspect in the murder of a Galway native in Mallow on Thursday night is thought to have been a friend of the victim for some time.