Hung jury in Shannon nightclub murder case

Another jury must be sworn in to hear the case later this year after majority verdict is not forthcoming

The jury in the trial at Courtroom 6 at the Anglesea Street courthouse could not agree on a verdict.

The trial of a young Limerick man accused of murdering a 23-year-old man in a Shannon nightclub ended today in a hung jury.

The jury deliberated for their second day and after lunch Ms Justice Eileen Creedon told them that a majority verdict would be acceptable at this stage. The judge also indicated that if they could not reach a majority verdict then they could record a disagreement on the issue paper.

Minutes later, the jury returned to Courtroom 6 at the Anglesea Street courthouse in Cork, where the Central Criminal Court was sitting for the case. Asked if they had reached a verdict on which at least ten of them agreed, the jury foreman replied, “No.” He then indicated that they had recorded a disagreement.

This followed a total of five hours and 20 minutes of deliberation over the past two days.

Jurors discharged

Ms Justice Creedon thanked the five men and six women of the jury, noting that cases such as this could be difficult. The judge excused them from further jury service for a period of five years. One of the jurors was discharged on Wednesday after indicating to the court that he was unable to appear.

As for the murder charge against Nathan O’Neill, it will now be a matter for another jury to be sworn in to hear the case. That may take place later in the year but it will be a matter for the Central Criminal Court to set a date.

The case relates to an incident in the early hours of celebrations after the St Patrick’s Day Grand Slam win by the Irish rugby team in 2018.

Nathan O’Neill of Hill Top Drive, Dooradoyle, Limerick, was arraigned on the first charge of murdering Jamie Higgins at the Shannon Knights licensed premises at Tullyvarraga, Shannon, Co. Clare, on March 18, 2018, and he replied, “Not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.” He pleaded guilty to causing serious harm to Michael Shannon on the same date at the same place.

Prosecution senior counsel Dean Kelly told the jury: “Your job has been streamlined to a degree – perhaps to a considerable degree – by his response to charges.” Mr Kelly SC said it was murder plain and simple and that the accused came back to the premises with a knife thinking it would be the last time he would be humiliated.

Defence senior counsel Anthony Sammon said during his cross-examination of injured party Michael Shannon: “This was a coke-fuelled attack on Nathan O’Neill – you don’t quarrel with that.” Mr Shannon did not disagree.

Accused did not testify

The accused did not testify but memos of interviews with gardaí were read to the jury. Nathan O’Neill said: “Jamie hit me and I swung the knife at him.” He said the late Jamie Higgins made contact with this punch – hitting the accused in the lower lip. Asked: “Did you stab him at this point, the accused man, Nathan O’Neill said: “Yeah, I think so.” He denied the suggestion that he had armed himself with a knife and come back to the club for revenge because the deceased had punched him earlier – the first of two assaults that night.

The accused man said: “I just want to say sorry. I just panicked and got scared. I just got caught in the moment. I am not a bad person. I didn’t mean to do it. I was back in work – I wanted to go to college. Now everyone is going to think this is the guy who done this. This is the brush I am going to be painted with. I was not raised to do this.” 

He told gardaí that about four minutes after he arrived in the ‘The Knights’, Jamie Higgins passed him and said, “What’s happening, faggot.” He said Jamie Higgins then punched him in the lip with his fist. “After being hit in the face, it was like shock, it was in front of everyone… I get panic attacks at times,” he said.

Limerick man, Jamie Higgins, (23), from Mungret in Limerick, who was allegedly stabbed to death by another man at Shannon Knights nightclub in Shannon, Co. Clare on March 18, 2018. 

He left the club for about an hour after that and went for a spin in his friend’s car. He said his friend was good at calming him down. Without his friend seeing him he (the accused) picked a knife from the floor of the car where there was an assortment of tools. He put it in his right jeans pocket and returned to the club.

Asked why he didn’t just go home, he said his girlfriend was there and he was worried about her and did not want to leave her in the club.

“When Jamie punched me I pulled out the knife – it was actually in my front right pants pocket. When Jamie gave me the punch I stumbled. When they came in I just swung in panic, like. They came from behind me. I am not sure how many there were. It was kind of a frenzy, a panic, I didn’t expect them to hit me. They had already hit me once.

Gardaí put it to him: “You went back a second time and you wanted revenge?” 

He replied: “No. I said it already, I never set out to hurt anyone. Do you think I went back to kill someone or something? No, never. I am not an idiot – taking someone’s life, throwing my own life away.”