A young man has been found guilty of the manslaughter which claimed the life of Irishman Thomas Keaney who died after being punched in December 2013 in Perth, Australia.
23 year old Abbas Al Jrood was accused of unlawfully killing 23 year old Mr Keaney from Co. Galway, outside a kebab shop in Perth December 2013.
The supreme court hear that Mr Jrood punched Mr Keaney in the back of the head after having an argument about a chair.
Prosecutors alleged Jrood snook up on Mr Keaney who fell and backwards and then hit his head on the footpath, causing a severe brain injury.
Although he initially improved after the injury, Mr Keaney deteriorated and passed away 10 days later in hospital.
Al Jrood said that Mr Keaney’s death was a “tragic accident” and claimed that he had only pushed him using a technique that he had learned as part of his training course to become a security officer.
The jury deliberated for four and a half hours and found Mr Jrood guilty of manslaughter.
Members of Mr Keaney’s family were in Perth for the trial. Mr Keaney’s aunt, Bridie Conroy, spoke to RTÉ and welcomed the manslaughter verdict. She said “My sister, she will never get over it. They are serving a life sentence, herself, her husband and their three kids.”
“It has destroyed our family completely and there isn’t a day that goes by that something doesn’t bring us back to think of Thomas, or what has happened. Christmas will never be the same of us again” she added.