Shaun McNeil murder trial: Fighter found guilty for manslaughter of Daniel Christie
HE had a love of partying, bodybuilding and the odd punch-up but today self-proclaimed mixed martial arts fighter Shaun McNeil avoided a murder conviction.
Jury found McNeil guilty of Daniel Christie’s manslaughter
The 27-year-old broke down in the dock when the verdict was read out
The case centred around McNeil’s intention of harm towards Christie
McNeil will be sentenced on August 21
SHAUN Stuart McNeil was no stranger to trouble when he threw the punch that ultimately cost Daniel Christie his life.
The self-proclaimed mixed martial arts fighter reportedly had a turbulent past.
His Facebook page, which no longer exists, featured hundreds of photos and posts about his constant partying, his love of bodybuilding and the odd punch-up.
And his mother told Fairfax earlier this year that her son was a boy who had given her “many a heart attack” because of his anti-social antics.
“He’s a boy, they get into fights, but he's never been involved in anything like this,” she told Fairfax.
This, wasn’t even a fight. This was one punch, a coward punch that knocked Daniel Christie to the ground rendering him unconscious. He died 11 days later after his life support was switched off.
Today McNeil was found guilty of the 18-year-old’s manslaughter, but acquitted of his murder.
The jury reached its unanimous verdict after roughly six hours of deliberation. Just two hours ago they told the judge they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict, but were urged by Justice Robert Allan Hulme to keep considering.
As the verdict was read out McNeil broke down crying in the dock.
Daniel Christie’s parents Michael and Maureen were not in the courtroom for the verdict, with prosecutors breaking the news to them as they returned to the Taylor Square complex.
McNeil had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but not guilty to murder.
The case centred around McNeil’s intention of harm towards Daniel.
The Crown alleges McNeil intended to cause grievous bodily harm, which shaped their case that he should be found guilty of murder. It argued McNeil delivered a “large swinging punch”.
But McNeil’s counsel denied he had possessed that level of intention when he struck Daniel.
Daniel’s brother Peter, who was with him in Kings Cross on the night, recalled the teenager hitting the pavement with a “very loud, definite crack”.
The fatal assault came 18 months after Thomas Kelly was killed in a one-punch attack in Kings Cross.
Lockout laws in the Kings Cross and CBD areas, as well as restrictions on the service of alcohol, were introduced by the O’Farrell government in the wake of the deaths of the two teenagers.
McNeil, 27, fatally struck Mr Christie on Bayswater Road, Kings Cross on New Year’s Eve 2013.
The trial heard McNeil admitted the manslaughter of Mr Christie, but denied the more serious charge of murder.
During the trial CCTV footage was played showing McNeil fighting with another man just before the punch on Mr Christie, 18, who never regained consciousness after hitting his head on the pavement.
The jury heard Mr Christie, having witnessed McNeil strike the other man, said “what are you hitting a kid for?”
McNeil’s counsel Craig Smith SC told the jury his client mistakingly believed Daniel and his brother Peter were with a group of three teenagers he had just been involved in a fight with, because they told him his girlfriend was “hot”.
The CCTV footage showed Mr Christie falling to the ground.
McNeil will be sentenced in the Supreme Court on August 21.
Originally published as Shaun McNeil murder trial: Fighter found guilty for manslaughter of Daniel Christie