Man remanded in custody after he pleads guilty to manslaughter of his mother’s partner

A 43-year-old man has been remanded in custody for sentence after he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his mother’s partner in a house in west Cork almost six years ago.

Andrew Nash of Parnell Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary, had denied the murder of John Ustic (51) at a house on High Street, Skibbereen, Co Cork, on a date unknown between September 24th and September 25th, 2017.

But when the trial reopened on Thursday before a jury of seven men and five women at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork, prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC asked that Nash be rearraigned on the sole count on the indictment, that of murder.

When the murder charge was put to him, Nash replied: “Not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter”, whereupon Mr Gillane told Mr Justice Michael MacGrath that the plea to manslaughter was acceptable to the director of public prosecutions.

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Mr Justice MacGrath told the jury that in the light of Nash’s plea to the manslaughter charge their services would no longer be required, and he thanked them for their attendance and attention to date and discharging them, excused them from jury service for a period of five years.

Following the departure of the jury Mr Gillane said that following discussions with defence counsel Ray Boland SC he was happy to proceed to sentencing on Friday, when an outline of the case and a victim impact statement on behalf of Mr Ustic’s family would be given.

Mr Boland confirmed his client’s willingness to proceed to sentence, and Mr Justice MacGrath remanded Nash in custody to appear again at the Central Criminal Court sitting at Anglesea Street courthouse for sentence on Friday, July 14th.

The late Mr Ustic, a father of one originally from Cornwall, moved to Ireland in 2005 and lived for a period in Co Tipperary before moving to west Cork and Skibbereen, where he was in a relationship with Nash’s mother Suzanne Fenton, now deceased.