Man admits kicking Rossiter in head over remark about brother

A 26-YEAR-OLD who drank 12 or 13 pints of cider said he head-butted 14-year-old Brian Rossiter, kicked him in the head and gave him an upper cut into the jaw, all because he made a comment about his brother.

Unemployed father-of-one Noel Hannigan pleaded guilty yesterday to assault causing harm to Brian Rossiter on September 9, 2002.

The young boy was found unconscious in a garda cell in Clonmel in Co Tipperary two days later and subsequently died in hospital. But his death had nothing to do with the unprovoked assault at the hands of Hannigan, counsel for the State Rosario Boyle said yesterday at Clonmel Circuit Court.