Five plead guilty to manslaughter of Dale Creighton

Murder charges against seven people have been dropped after five of them pleaded guilty to Dale Creighton’s manslaughter and their two co-accused pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

All seven were rearraigned yesterday morning.

Graham Palmer, aged 26, of Park Avenue, Portarlington, Co Laois; Ross Callery, aged 23, of Gortlum Cottages, Brittas, Co Dublin; David Burke, aged 28, of Beechpark, Collinstown, Co Westmeath; Gerard Stevens, aged 27, of Grosvenor Square, Rathmines, Dublin; and Jason Beresford, aged 23, of Coill Diarmuida, Ard a’ Laoi, Castledermot, Co Kildare, all pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter.

Aisling Burke, aged 23, of Beechpark, Collinstown, Co Westmeath, pleaded guilty to violent disorder on January 1, 2014. James Reid, aged 26, of Glen Aoibhinn, Gorey, Co Wexford,

pleaded guilty to having a knife, which had a blade or which was sharply pointed.

Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy granted Burke bail until sentencing. Stevens and Callery were remanded on bail until next Monday, as requested. The others were remanded in custody and the judge directed probation reports for Palmer, Callery, Stevens, Beresford, Aisling Burke, and David Burke. She also directed a victim impact report.

They will be sentenced in December.