Man Jailed Over One-Punch Death

A man from Toomebridge has been sentenced to one year in prison over the manslaughter of a father-of-two.

Finbar McCoy, from Loughbeg Road, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of James McDonagh, 28, outside the Elk Bar on 10 January 2016.

He is to serve six months in prison and six months on licence.

Mr McDonagh died from head injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Eamonn Corrigan said: "James, known to everyone as Jim, had been socialising in the Elk Bar on Saturday 09 January 2016. At around 2.25am on the Sunday morning a disturbance involving a number of persons occurred at the bar. The disturbance ended up spilling out onto the main road beside the bar. During this incident Jim was punched to the face by McCoy and subsequently fell backwards hitting his head on the ground. Jim was treated in hospital for serious head injuries which he never recovered from."

Jim's widow Christina said: "Jim's death has had a huge impact on all our lives. As a member of the travelling community you only marry the once so I will be now a widow for the rest of my life. In the travelling community the girls and wives do not generally work, we are there to be a housewife, look after our homes and children whilst the husband works.

"I have no husband now and my father is helping me and my family. In the travelling community the husband's role is to provide for his wife and family, the husband is there to show his sons how to work and how to make a living and how to set up a home. The husband/father buys the sons their first van. Jim is gone and taken from us as a family and my sons James and Patrick will never get the opportunity to have this experience and learning from their father."

(CD/JP)