Michael Scott

2023 - 3 - 30

Post cover — Image courtesy of "BreakingNews.ie"

Michael Scott: The full story of the farmer's trial for killing his aunt ... (BreakingNews.ie)

The jury unanimously rejected the prosecution case that Michael Scott deliberately murdered his aunt out of 'a sense of entitlement and for revenge'

Mr Kelly told the jury that the intensity and toxicity of the relationship between Ms Treacy and her nephew was increasing with every passing week in the build-up to her death. Counsel pointed to what he called the "geometric precision" with which the teleporter ran over Ms Treacy from her right toe to her extended left hand, "crushing everything in its path" including her organs and pelvis, and removing the flesh from her left hand. Ms Donohue said that she began to avoid Scott but on one occasion in the weeks before Ms Treacy died, she was driving on the main Portumna to Ballinasloe road when Mr Scott, driving his jeep, "came straight for me". There was also, he said, evidence that Scott had made "clear and direct threats" to do harm to Ms Treacy. The account given by Scott, in which he said that he was reversing the teleporter but did not see Ms Treacy, was "self-serving, dishonest, nonsense," Mr Kelly said. Mr Scott told him that he was "setting back out with the teleporter" and he "hit Chrissie". He said that he didn't think Chrissie was "behind the letter" and said that he was regularly talking to his aunt at that time and he couldn't understand why she had contacted a solicitor instead of talking to him. Scott "just cried more" when Mr Hardiman told him that he had said a prayer over Chrissie and that she had passed away. By Christmas 2017, Ms Donohue said the deceased made an application through her solicitor to split the land at Derryhiney and put a new lease on the half that she owned. He said the injury was consistent with "a far more aggressive action and could be consistent with the rotation of the wheel while on the limb." He said that the other marks are "very difficult to interpret" but may have been left when Ms Treacy was in the upright position. He said he only realised that Ms Treacy had left the land to Ms Donohue a few months after Ms Treacy died.

Michael Scott guilty of manslaughter of his aunt (RTE.ie)

A 58-year-old farmer has been found not guilty of the murder of his elderly aunt by running her over with a teleporter following a long running dispute ...

Mr Hardiman told the court he found Scott in a shed crying and shouting. He also noted the disappearance of Ms Treacy’s Jack Russell, Bradley in February 2018. However, she said she did not want him to have any expectation of continuous liberty. Ms Treacy had farmed 140 acres of land at Derryhiney in Portumna with her brothers. The court heard evidence that Ms Treacy intended to partition her land from the land owned by her nephew and that he was angry and resentful about this. Ms Treacy had begun legal proceedings and a letter formally outlining Ms Treacy's intentions in relation to the land was sent to Scott the day before Ms Treacy’s death.

Michael Scott found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter ... (Irish Mirror)

Chrissie Treacy died after she was run over by a teleporter driven by her nephew.

For a manslaughter verdict, Ms Justice Biggs said the jury must be satisfied that Mr Scott was driving in a "grossly negligent" way. He said he rolled the machine forward to level ground and when he got out of the cabin he found Ms Treacy lying on the ground. She leased her land at Kiltormer and Derryhiney to Michael Scott. Following the deaths of Ms Treacy's brothers, Michael Scott came to own half the land at Derryhiney and Ms Treacy owned the other half. Mr Scott's lawyers said that her death was a tragic accident. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs previously told the jury that there is no doubt that Mr Scott was the cause of his aunt's death, but for a murder verdict the jury must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time he ran over her, or the "nanosecond before that," he intended to kill or cause serious injury to her.

Galway farmer Michael Scott found guilty of manslaughter of his aunt ... (thejournal.ie)

It was the prosecution's case that Scott deliberately ran over Treacy following a long-running dispute over land.

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Michael Scott found not guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter (Kildare Nationalist)

Scott had pleaded not guilty to the murder of his aunt Chrissie Treacy outside her home in Co Galway in April 2018…

For a manslaughter verdict, Ms Justice Biggs said the jury must be satisfied that Scott was driving in a “grossly negligent” way. She leased her land at Kiltormer and Derryhiney to the accused. Scott’s lawyers said her death was a tragic accident.

A 'disgraceful' slur to a witness and disappearance of a dog, what ... (Independent.ie)

The jury in Michael Scott's trial did not hear evidence that Chrissie Treacy told "the entire community" that Michael Scott was responsible for the ...

But they could not tell the jury what Ms Treacy had told them as that would be hearsay and is therefore inadmissible. Giving evidence is difficult enough without having to deal with that insult.” I was going to put you into custody because I have a duty to protect witnesses in this court and ensure they are treated with respect and courtesy.”

Chrissie Treacy feared for her life before Michael Scott killed her ... (The Irish Times)

Trial resulting conviction of Scott for manslaughter of his aunt heard in absence of jury that she had expressed fears for her life.

In his closing speech, defence counsel Paul Greene SC said the defence had raised a reasonable possibility that her death was accidental. In June 2017 Ms Donohoe and Ms Treacy returned to the house one evening to find Scott angry because dairy lights had gone out. Dr Mark Jordan, an engineer called by the defence, said the suggestion Ms Treacy had been run over twice by the teleporter was “unsupported”. The right eye, she said, was being “ignored by the brain”. I thought you would have to ring the hospital in Ballinasloe and I had no number for a doctor.” His aunt would get confused but he had an understanding that the land would go to him. What misfortune.” She was “breathing heavy”, unable to talk”. Mr Hardiman called gardaí and emergency services and went looking for Scott finding him “in a hysterical way of crying and shouting” inside a shed. He had called his friend Francis Hardiman, who was in Eyrecourt at 3.26pm, telling Hardiman that he “hit Chrissie”. Scott had worked on the land owned and farmed by his uncles Michael and Willie and his aunt Chrissie at Derryhiney. Before Bradley’s disappearance, she had told a friend, Declan McHugh, that she feared for her life and for Bradley’s life. The gardaí were called, too, but she did not wish to make a formal complaint.

Galway farmer found guilty of aunt's manslaughter, but not guilty of ... (Newstalk)

Michael Scott claimed he accidentally ran over Chrissie Treacy in his JCB teleporter on the 27th of April 2018.

The judge had told them to first consider the murder allegation and if they were not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr Scott intended to kill or cause Chrissie Treacy serious harm, then they could find him guilty of manslaughter if they believed he was grossly negligent when he reversed over her in his JCB teleporter. After considering the evidence, they found Michael Scott not guilty of his aunt's murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Michael Scott, of Gortanumera, Portumna, claimed he accidentally ran over Chrissie Treacy in his JCB teleporter on the 27th of April 2018.

Michael Scott

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