Former Derry GAA star appears in court charged with manslaughter

A former Derry GAA star has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of a 34-year-old man outside a bar in Portglenone at the weekend.

Fergal Doherty (41), with an address given in court as Main St, Portglenone, appeared via video link at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday to face a single charge of the manslaughter of Aaron Law.

Mr Law had died as a result of injuries sustained outside Pat's Bar, Portglenone – which the defendant owns - in the early hours of Sunday Ocotber 30 2022.

A bail application made on behalf of the defendant by defence counsel Joe Brolly was opposed by police, with an officer outlining the reasons for his opposition along with details of the alleged incident.

Police had responded to a call from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) at around 1.00am on October 30 saying a man had been found unconscious outside the bar.

An officer told the court that both the deceased and the defendant had been inside the bar socialising that night, when Mr Law was involuntarily escorted from the premises by a member of door staff.

They said there was no force involved and that the member of staff had placed his hand on the deceased's back and guided him outside.

The defendant followed the two men outside the bar, where the member of staff was in conversation with Mr Law.

There followed a 'verbal altercation' in which the defendant intervened and placed himself between the deceased and the member of staff.

The officer told the court Mr Law had then attempted to hit the defendant, who reacted by punching him in the face.

Mr Law subsequently fell and hit his head on the road, remaining unconscious in the middle of the road for a period of time described in court as being around 10-15 minutes.

The defendant and the member of staff then returned to the scene and lifted the deceased onto the pavement, where they propped him up against the wall of the bar before returning inside.

A member of the public then noticed assistance was required and phoned the ambulance. Mr Law was taken to Antrim Area Hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Following his arrest the following day, the defendant gave a full account at interview, with his account corroborated by witnesses.

An attempt by the officer to highlight an alleged incident in 2010 involving the defendant drew criticism from Mr Brolly, defending, who described it as 'risible'.

Mr Brolly said that the witness statements taken had clearly shown a self-defence case and that there was no evidence to contradict the defendant's account.

He said the CCTV showed the deceased taking 2-3 steps towards the defendant, who then retreated out of view of the footage.

Mr Brolly told the court that Doherty had phoned the deceased's brother-in-law the following day to tell him of his involvement and that he was going to hand himself into police.

He said the defendant had shown 'grief and remorse' throughout, and that he had 'wept' during his police interview.

Mr Brolly said the only reason the defendant had become involved was because the incident was 'getting out of hand' and that he is friendly with Mr Law's brother-in-law.

He said there was an 'overwhelming' case for bail and added that the defendant was a very well-known man who played Gaelic football for Bellaghy, Derry and Ulster with distinction.

He said he had a clear record and as well as owning the bar, ran a roofing business who had recently constructed the roof on Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast.

Mr Brolly said he had attempted to retreat during the incident, which he described as a 'terrible, terrible tragedy'.

He said the defendant would no longer be involved with the pub, which has remained closed since the incident occurred.

Mr Brolly also argued that Doherty should 'never have been charged' with manslaughter and that there was 'no evidence to rebutt' that he acted in self-defence.

“This is as obvious a case of self-defence that I have come across in 30 years,” added Mr Brolly.

He added that there was little evidence the defendant would interfere with witnesses and that he was 'devastated and grief-stricken' as a result of the alleged incident.

Judge Broderick said the charge was 'serious' and extended his sympathy to the family of the deceased for the 'tragic loss of life'.

He stressed this was a bail application, not a trial, but pointed out there were around 20-30 people in the bar at the time, with a lot of witness statements still to be made.

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The defendant was ordered to pay over £1,300 in compensation.

The judge denied the defendant bail, making reference to the seriousness of the charge and the fact that the incident affected a 'small, rural community'.

He said the court would be concerned the defendant could interfere with the investigation or the course of justice.

Mr Brolly said he would be going 'immediately' to the High Court to appeal the bail decision.

“I am frankly at a loss,” he said.

The defendant is due to appear via video link at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Dec 1.