A MAN has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Irishman Desmond O’Beirne who died following an assault in central London in June 2017.
Lucas Antunes, 21, of no fixed abode appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, December 14, where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Antunes, who was extradited from the United States earlier this year, will be sentenced at the same court in February 2019 on a date to be confirmed.
A second man, aged 22, is due to appear at the Old Bailey next Friday, December 21, charged with manslaughter.
Head injury
Mr O’Beirne, who lived in Westminster, was attacked outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, WC2 at around 12.25am on Saturday, June 3, 2017.
London Ambulance Service attended and treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital, however he died from his injuries five days before Christmas 2017.
Desmond O’Beirne, 51, lived in Westminster but was of Irish descent (Image: Met Police)A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as a head injury.
The incident was investigated by the Homicide and Major Crime Command, led by Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh.
CCTV footage of the assault, released as part of the investigation, showed a female bystander holding her hands to her face in shock during the incident.
(Images: Met Police)The footage helped identify Antunes, who was charged with manslaughter on Thursday, September 27 following his extradition from the US.
Mr O’Beirne’s sister, Vivienne Folan, previously paid tribute to him, saying: “My brother Desmond was hard working and larger than life.”
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