Court is told man charged with Omagh manslaughter threw a single punch

A teenager charged with the manslaughter of a man in Omagh threw a single punch during an altercation outside a bar in the town.
18-year-old Christopher McClean, from Main Street in Gortin, is accused of killing Omagh man Darren McBrearty in John Street.
28-year-old Mr McBrearty had been on a life support machine since the assault but died in hospital on Tuesday.
The case against Mr McClean rests on whether he threw the punch in self-defence or as an act of aggression.
He appeared shaken and nervous in the dock, and there was bruising around his right eye.
A detective constable told the court he could connect the accused to the charge.
His solicitor asked a detective constable to confirm that his client had made a full statement to the police at the first opportunity.
The police officer confirmed this was the case and agreed that the version of events laid out in that statement tallied with the police’s understanding of what had happened.
The officer agreed that this appeared to be a “single punch” incident and that the case rested on whether this was an act of aggression or, as the accused claims, an act of self-defence.
The accused was released on bail to appear again in court later this month.