Judge gives ex-soccer player three years for fatal assault

A former soccer player has been jailed for three years for killing a woman he thought was spreading rumours about his new-born baby being taken into care.

Wesley Ward (aged 33) pulled Ms Tracey O’Brien to the ground and kicked and stamped on her head outside the Rotunda Hospital. The mother of his child was also involved in the attack. She was acquitted of manslaughter but convicted of assault causing harm last month.

The court heard Ward told gardaí on his arrest: “All I did was kick her in the face, what’s wrong with that?”

Ward, of Aras Na Cluaine, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Ms O’Brien (aged 31) in Dublin on June 25, 2009. The victim was in hospital for a week after the assault before she died of her injuries, which included a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage.

Judge Martin Nolan took into account Ward’s guilty plea and accepted that the deceased had a “myriad” of health conditions which made her vulnerable to assault and contributed to her death.

At the sentence hearing the court heard Ward was a promising footballer in his youth before he fell into heroin addiction. He played for Home Farm and Monaghan Town football clubs and was also called for a trial with Queens Park Rangers.

Detective Sergeant Desmond McTiernan told prosecuting counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn SC, that Ward’s former partner, Michelle Brannigan gave birth to a child which suffered from severe medical difficulties.

Shortly after the birth, Ward arrived at the maternity hospital and told Brannigan that Ms O’Brien was spreading false rumours that the child had been taken into care. Ms O’Brien came down to the hospital and Ward and Brannigan confronted her outside.

A fight broke out between the victim and Brannigan and the two were exchanging punches before Ward intervened and pulled Ms O’Brien to the ground by her hair. He then punched and stamped on her head while she lay on the ground.

Brannigan continued fighting with the victim for a short time after. After the fight Brannigan and Ms O’Brien made up and sat on a bench talking. Ms O’Brien was bleeding heavily, disorientated and vomiting. She was taken to hospital where she fell into a coma and died a week later.

The coroner determined she died from the injuries to the back of her head which were most likely sustained when she was pulled to the ground by Ward. The report noted she suffered from several serious diseases which would have greatly shortened her life expectancy.

“Her life expectancy was short but it wasn’t due to end on June 25,” Det. Sgt McTiernan said.

Ward was arrested a week after the attack. He made admissions and told gardaí Ms O’Brien was “mouthing off to people about my baby being taken into care, half the town knew.”

A victim impact report stated Ms O’Brien’s family had faced “enormous stress” over her death and that her mother and sister had to take medication and seek counselling to cope.

Ward has nine previous convictions for matters such as common assault, theft and road traffic offences.

Defence counsel, Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, said Ward came from a decent, supportive family. He said he wanted to apologise for his actions and that he deeply regrets the attack.

He submitted that the victim’s death was an accident and that Ward was never charged with her murder.

He added that the victim was in “remarkably poor health” and that this was a contributing factor to her death.