By Eoin Reynolds
A FATHER-of-five who beat his mother’s partner to death in Skibbereen during a ‘vicious and sustained’ assault – during which he repeatedly dropped a couch on his defenceless victim’s head – was last week jailed for 13 years by a judge at the Central Criminal Court.
Andrew Nash pleaded guilty to manslaughter four days into his trial earlier this year where he had been accused of murdering John Ustic (51). The State accepted his plea and Mr Justice Michael MacGrath passed sentence on Nash, who had told others before the assault that Mr Ustic had been ‘at his mother’.
Ahead of sentencing, Nash took the stand to apologise for the killing. He said he was ‘deeply ashamed and disgusted with myself’ and apologised to Mr Ustic’s family, to the court, gardai and ambulance crew ‘for their experiences in the case’.
Mr Justice MacGrath said the offence fell into the highest category for manslaughter and attracted a headline sentence of between 15 and 20 years. He described it as a ‘vicious and sustained’ assault against a man who may have been, according to the evidence of a pathologist, ‘in a comatose state on the floor’ when some of the injuries were inflicted.
But the judge also noted what he said were genuine expressions of remorse by Nash and his decision to take responsibility for the killing by pleading guilty to manslaughter. The judge also noted the impact a prison sentence will have on Nash’s youngest children who now ‘face the latter part of their childhood years without the presence of a father figure’. The judge further noted a letter from Nash’s former partner who described Nash as a ‘decent, caring man with a good heart’.
Alcohol played a role in the offence and Mr Justice MacGrath said Nash has taken steps to address his alcoholism, is doing well in prison and has said he wants to ‘get work and be a better family person’ when released and ‘take an active part in the upbringing of his children and grandchildren’.
Mr Justice MacGrath imposed a sentence of 14 years with the final 12 months suspended for two years on the condition that Nash work with the probation services.
Andrew Nash (43), with an address in Thurles, Co Tipperary killed Mr Ustic on September 24th or 25th at High Street, Skibbereen.
Mr Justice MacGrath said that the deceased was born in Oxford in the UK and moved to Ireland in 2006 and was living in Skibbereen at the time of his death.
In September, 2017 Nash travelled to Skibbereen after receiving a call from his mother, Suzanne Fenton. Nash told others that Mr Ustic had been “at his mother”.
Following the assault, Nash attempted to buy plane tickets at Cork airport then got a bus to the ferry port in Dublin where he left for Holyhead in the UK.
Earlier, he was overheard in a shop responding to media reports about the assault on Mr Ustic by saying, ‘the world won’t miss’ or ‘the world is better off without him’.
