Galway Farmer Found Guilty Of The Manslaughter Of His Aunt

Thursday, 30 March 2023 17:20

By Caoimhe Harney

Michael Scott of Portumna, Co Galway pleaded not guilty to murdering 76-year-old Chrissie Treacy on 27 April 2018

A Galway farmer has been found NOT GUILTY of murdering his aunt, but guilty of her manslaughter.

Michael Scott, of Gortanumera, Portumna, claimed he accidentally ran over 76 year old Chrissie Treacy in his JCB teleporter on the 27th of April 2018.

Following a lengthy trial, the jury was sent out on Friday and after considering the evidence, they have found Michael Scott NOT guilty of his aunt’s murder, but guilty of manslaughter. They’d been deliberating for fifteen hours.

The judge had told them to first consider the murder allegation and if they were not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Scott intended to kill or cause Chrissie Treacy serious harm, then they could find him guilty of manslaughter if they believed he was grossly negligent when he reversed over her in his JCB teleporter.

Mr Scott insisted he didn’t see her and that it was a tragic farming accident but the prosecution claimed he killed her because she was looking to formally partition prime farmland they co-owned in Portumna.

His sentence hearing will take place in June.

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