{
  "id": 14962256,
  "title": "Man sentenced to six years for killing man on stag night",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/man-sentenced-to-six-years-for-killing-man-on-stag-night",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T13:16:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2026/1016/1595666-manslaughter-athlone-stag/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A man has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for fatally assaulting a man during his stag night in Athlone in August 2022. Paul Babs Connolly, 48, from Edenderry, Co Offaly, was attacked for 21 minutes along Church Street in Athlone by Sean Munnelly, 40, of Irishtown, Athlone, and another man, David Higgins, 18. Connolly died from cardiac arrest caused by blunt force trauma to the head, while he was already intoxicated and injured. Munnelly pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and Judge Deirdre Browne stressed that Connolly's earlier remarks about child pornography did not provoke the assault. The judge noted that Connolly was unconscious by the time Munnelly delivered the fatal punch, and that CCTV footage showed the attack continued for over 30 meters. Munnelly was out on bail and on a suspended sentence at the time of the incident and had a history of drug and violent offenses. The court heard that Connolly's family was deeply devastated by his death, and his sister described his impact on their lives. Munnelly expressed remorse in a letter read in court, apologizing for his actions and the devastation they caused.",
  "summary": "A man has been handed a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for killing a man who was \"set on\" and attacked with repeated punches and kicks while on a stag night in Athlone over four years ago.",
  "key_points": [
    "Paul Babs Connolly, 48, died from assault during stag night in Athlone",
    "Sean Munnelly, 40, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced 6.5 years",
    "CCTV footage showed attack over 30 meters"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}