A Dublin teenager has been cleared of murdering his neighbour whom he shot in the chest more than two years ago.
But a Central Criminal Court jury found Conor Duffy (18), of St Mary's Road, East Wall, guilty of the manslaughter of Aidan O’Kane in December 2008.
Following just under two and a half hours of deliberations the jury returned a majority 10-1 verdict.
Mr O'Kane (50), a mechanic, died after Duffy shot him in the chest with a .375 Magnum revolver he had discovered in undergrowth. Mr O'Kane had chased Duffy down a lane wearing a balaclava because the youth had egged his house.
Duffy gave no reaction when the verdict was returned, but stared straight ahead.
His mother wiped tears from her eyes and his father, whom Duffy confessed to the killing to and who urged his son to tell gardai the truth, sat next to her.
Mr O'Kane's only son, Dylan (26) who witnessed his father's shooting and was the prosecution's main witness in the case, was not present in court for the verdict.
Lawyers for the State had urged the jury to return a verdict of murder, saying Duffy had made a premeditated decision to shoot Mr O'Kane.
They said he had ample opportunity to walk away from the scene, but instead had got a gun, pointed it at Mr O'Kane and pulled the trigger, before making good his escape.
Mr O'Kane had appeared on Shelmalier Road in East Wall on December 7th, 2008 after Duffy and others had egged his house.
He was wearing a balaclava and said "I'll blast yis." The mechanic had changed into the balaclava and biker jacket and armed himself with a baton, intending to confront the youths, whom the court heard had been harassing him for months.
When he emerged from the house, people began screaming that he had a gun. Duffy, who told gardai that Mr O'Kane had previously threatened his life, cycled away to get the gun he had discovered, having decided to shoot the mechanic in the leg.
Prior to the killing, he had been on good terms with Mr O'Kane and had been to his house several times to smoke joints. But said he told gardai they fell out when Mr O'Kane accused him of stealing his bike and threatened to "put him in a wheelchair."
When he returned with the weapon, he threw his bike down in front of Mr O'Kane and walked into a lane, with his neighbour giving chase.
They stood and faced each other and Duffy said Mr O'Kane said "shoot me" before making a move to take something out of his jacket.
Believing it was a gun and that his life was in danger, Duffy pointed the revolver and shot Mr O'Kane, before fleeing the scene.
Duffy's defence lawyer, Seán Gillane SC, urged the jury to consider the fact that Duffy was just 15 years old and a "child in law" at the time of the killing.
He said the fact that Mr O'Kane had said "I'll blast yis" when he left the house was consistent with his desire to frighten and intimidate and ensure the teenagers thought he had a gun.
He said this was especially relevant because it "feeds into (Duffy's) acquisition of the gun and its use in the laneway."
Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan remanded Duffy bail on condition that he sign on daily and be at home with his parents at 8pm each evening.
The jury found Duffy guilty on three other counts - unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm without a licence.
He is due to be sentenced on all counts next month.