Jason Murray, aged 42, appeared before Belfast Crown Court today, Tuesday, 8 July 2025, where he was sentenced for the manslaughter of Paul Rowlands in Portrush in July 2022.

Murray received an indeterminate sentence, meaning he must serve a minimum of eight years in custody before becoming eligible for parole consideration.

Detective Inspector Claire McGarvey revealed details of the tragic case. "Mr Paul Rowlands, who was 46 years old and from Cambridge, was a much-loved father of five," she stated. Paul had been on an extended stay in Portrush from early June 2022 and was due to return to England at the end of July.

"Following a report to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Paul was found injured and unresponsive in the Bath Terrace area of Portrush in the early hours of Monday, 18 July 2022. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later," Detective Inspector McGarvey explained. Jason Murray was arrested that same Monday evening. While he admitted to assaulting Paul during an argument, he maintained he had left him alive and well. Detective Inspector McGarvey expressed gratitude to the witnesses who aided the investigation. "A number of witnesses, who saw the two men in and around the area on Sunday, 17 July, described both consuming alcohol and arguing. Another gave an account of the actual attack, describing how the defendant assaulted the victim while he lay vulnerable on the ground," she continued.

The post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death. "Mr Rowlands sustained heavy bruising to his ear and a laceration to the side of his head. A post-mortem examination confirmed that, tragically, he died from a brain haemorrhage caused by blunt impact to the head," she added.

Concluding her remarks, Detective Inspector McGarvey described the profound impact of the crime: "This was the most senseless and tragic loss of a man's life, in an attack fuelled by alcohol. Here, a verbal altercation followed by physical blows has had the most devastating and irreversible of consequences. Working with the Public Prosecution Service, the defendant has now been held accountable. At the same time, Paul's family have suffered unimaginably and I'm deeply aware that their heartache goes on. My thoughts, and that of my team, remain with them."



Photo: Paul Rowlands with his daughter, Lucy. PNSI