Man pleads guilty to manslaughter of man found dead on driveway

Victor Hamilton was found dead in July 2022

A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a 63-year-old who was found dead outside his home in Ballymena nearly three years ago.

Victor Hamilton's body was discovered on the driveway outside his house in Orkney Drive in the Ballykeel area of the town in July 2022.

Mamadu Saido Djalo, 32, from Derryveen Crescent in Dungannon, was due to go on trial along with two other men accused of murdering Mr Hamilton.

At Belfast Crown Court on Thursday, Mr Djalo pleaded "not guilty" to murder but "guilty" to manslaughter and he will be sentenced next week.

Seven other charges Mr Djalo had faced of attempting to pervert the course of justice will be "left on the books".

He was remanded in custody.

Co-accused Mario Menezes, 35, of Portmore Street, Portadown, and Michael Hanrahan, 43, of Thomas Street in Craigavon, were re-arraigned on a new charge and pleaded guilty to withholding information.

A prosecution barrister said the plea relating to the withholding of information was acceptable and the murder charge they had both faced would now be "left on the books in the usual terms''.

The court was told that Menezes and Hanrahan were "back seat passengers" in a car which drove from Portadown to Ballymena on the night Mr Hamilton was killed and then drove back to Portadown.

A prosecution lawyer told the court: "There is acceptance in an agreed basis of plea that the two defendants did not get out of the car after the vehicle arrived at the relevant location."

The court was told that the man the Crown believes was "the direct killer" had fled to Portugal and "has not yet been made amenable to the court".

Mr Justice O'Hara said he would sentence all three defendants next week.

This article was updated on 28 March 2025.