Man pleads guilty to manslaughter of friend in Portrush

A 42-year-old man has admitted the manslaughter of his friend in County Antrim.

Jason Murray, with an address at HMP Maghaberry, admitted to unlawfully killing 46-year-old Paul Rowlands in the Bath Terrace area of Portrush on 18 July 2022.

He appeared at Belfast Crown Court on Friday and the court heard that after Murray attacked Mr Rowlands, he walked to a nearby bar and said: "I kill people now, I'm a hitman."

Mr Rowlands was originally from Cambridge, England, but he and Murray were homeless and living in tents on East Strand, in Portrush, at the time.

Murray's plea to manslaughter was accepted on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to mental abnormality.

The court was told at 02:15 BST on 18 July 2022, the ambulance service received a report that a man was lying on the ground at Bath Terrace.

When emergency services arrived at the scene, Mr Rowlands was found lying on his back between two cars with a puddle of blood by his head.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Barrister Sam Magee KC said Mr Rowlands had injuries including a laceration above his eye and a wound to the back of his head.

A post-mortem examination on 20 July concluded that Mr Rowlands had suffered bleeding to the brain as a result of blunt trauma to his head and neck which caused his death and he had considerable levels of alcohol in his system.

After inquiries were made, the court was told that Mr Rowlands and Murray had been seen fighting on the beach close to Bath Terrace.

A witness reported that she had observed two men fighting. One man was on the ground and another was throwing punches and shouting: "You're lucky I didn't kill you."

Mr Magee KC said police viewed CCTV showing two men buying alcohol together at an off-licence on Main Street in the town at 21:17 BST on 17 July.

The CCTV also showed Mr Rowlands and Murray together at 23:55 BST the same night and, following the attack, footage showed Murray arriving at the Atlantic Bar at 00:11 BST on 18 July.

Murray was said to be intoxicated in the bar and was playing pool with a broken hand that night.

The court heard that when Murray was arrested by police on 18 July he admitted he had been with Mr Rowlands on 17 July and had been drinking, adding that the pair were having issues.

Mr Magee said Murray told police there had been a fight, that Mr Rowlands had started and involved both men slapping each other.

Murray told police he regarded the fight as a "tiff", the court was told.

Mr Magee said Mr Rowlands had travelled from England a month before his death and was unemployed with a history of alcohol and drug misuse.

The court was told that Mr Rowlands and Murray had become friends as both were homeless and living in tents and spent their days "drinking, fishing and taking drugs".

Mr Magee told the court: "The defendant left the scene, leaving the deceased dying or dead, showing indifference to the fate of the deceased and continuing to drink."

Defence barrister Gavan Duffy KC told the court there was "no question" that Murray was "very, very heavily intoxicated" when he arrived at the Atlantic Bar.

The defence said Murray "should have remained there and he should have alerted attention to what had occurred and remained to accept responsibility".

The court was told Murray experienced a "brutal upbringing" and had a history of mental health issues, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Murray will be sentenced on 8 July.