Galway Bay fm newsroom - A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of an Oughterard publican and schoolteacher who was beaten to death at his bar in 2011.
The body of 56-year-old, John Kenny was discovered at Kenny's Bar, Main Street, Oughterard on September 25th 2011 by his wife and daughter.
When discovered by his wife Kathleen and daughter Gillian in the ladies toilets at Kenny's Bar, John Kenny was lying face down with his hands tightly bound; he had suffered a violent and sustained assault.
His injuries included fractured ribs, a shattered shoulder blade, extensive muscle and soft tissue damage as well as damage to his forearms, wrists and hands.
Today at Galway Circuirt Court, a jury of 7 men and 4 women returned a guilty verdict against 24 year-old Marian Lingurar Jnr., a Romanian native with an address at Blackpool, Co. Cork.
In statements given to Gardaí in the days following the killing, he told Gardaí he left the premises at 1am and arrived back home in Claregalway at 1.40am, where he says he remained for the rest of the night.
However, it was the prosecutions case that he returned to Oughterard at around 2.20am, as part of a plan involving several people, to steal from John Kenny and commit violence if necessary.
During the trial, evidence was given that extensive mobile phone data placed Lingurar Jnr. - and others involved in this plan - in Oughterard between 2.20am and 3am on the night.
Marian Lingurar Jnr was also today found guilty of a second charge of trespass with intent to commit an offence.
He's due to appear back before Galway Circuit Court on Wednesday the 8th of May, when probation and governance reports will be presented, as well as victim impact statements.
Following the verdict, John Kenny's widow Kathleen and daughter Gillian declined to speak, though expressed a wish to acknowledge and praise the tireless work of Gardaí, the prosecution, and "all those behind the scenes" during the course of the investigation.
This is the first time someone has been convicted over the killing of John Kenny over 7 years ago - but it is not the end of the investigation.
Two men - Florin Fitzpatrick and Marian Lingurar Snr. - have previously been jailed for withholding information in the case; the state also withdrew a manslaughter charge against Marian Lingurar Snr.
However, during the trial, Detective Garda Henry Burke gave evidence that Gardaí are still actively seeking two other men for questioning.
One of these men is Vasile Muntean, who was at Kenny's Bar that night and communicated extensively with Marian Lingurar Jnr via mobile phone between the hours of 10pm and 3am.
The other was named as a Mr. Rostas, but the whereabouts of both men is unknown.
