King v Sharon Harland and Rhona Gracey
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Judge | O'Hara J |
| Neutral Citation | [2023] NICC 8 |
| Date | 03 April 2023 |
| Court | Crown Court (Northern Ireland) |
1
Neutral Citation No: [2023] NICC 8
Judgment: approved by the court for handing down
(subject to editorial corrections)*
Ref: OHA12126
ICOS No: 21/076352
21/061572
Delivered: 03/04/2023
IN THE CROWN COURT IN NORTHERN IRELAND
SITTING AT LAGANSIDE
___________
THE KING
v
SHARON HARLAND
and
RHONA GRACEY
___________
Mr N Connor KC with Ms S Gallagher (instructed by Public Prosecution Service) for the
Crown
Mr F O’Donoghue KC with Mr S Doherty (instructed by Quigley Grant & Kyle,
Solicitors) for the Defendant Harland
Mr E Grant KC with Mr T McCreanor (instructed by Keown Nugent, Solicitors) for the
Defendant Gracey
___________
O’HARA J
Introduction
[1] Mr Daniel Guyler was a 75-year-old man living in Londonderry when he was
attacked and robbed on 23 July 2018. He was critically ill and deeply unconscious
when attended to by an ambulance crew responding to an emergency call.
Mr Guyler never regained consciousness but only died on 1 May 2019, more than
nine months later.
[2] The defendants were charged with his murder and with robbery. After
discussions with the prosecution, they pleaded guilty to unlawful act manslaughter
rather than murder. The robbery charge was “left on the books” i.e. not proceeded
with. However, robbery remains an aggravating factor in the case because in all
likelihood the assault on Mr Guyler which led to his death was committed in the
course of a robbery. His wallet was found soon after the attack, but with
approximately £400 missing from it, and the defendants were noticed to have
unexpected amounts of money.
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