Tattoo artist death: Aidan Mann killer jailed for at least nine years

Aidan Mann, 28, was a tattoo artist based in Bangor

A man will spend at least nine years in prison for the killing of Northern Ireland tattoo artist Aidan Mann.

The 28-year-old, known as artist Zen Black, was stabbed 14 times at Church Street in Downpatrick, in January 2022.

The court said Aidan was an entirely innocent victim who did nothing to provoke the fatal attack.

Barry Donnelly, 38, whose address was given as Church Street in Downpatrick, admitted manslaughter pleading diminished responsibility.

He was given an indeterminate custodial sentence at Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday.

The judge said Donnelly must serve at least nine years in prison before he is eligible to be considered for release.

A spokesman for the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland said it was investigating a complaint of alleged police failings prior to the killing.

After the sentencing hearing Aidan's mother spoke of the devastating impact the killing has had on Aidan's loved ones.

Sonya Mann said Donnelly "stole my life when he killed my son".

"He chased my son down the street like an animal," she said.

"The fear my son must have felt and the suffering - that will never, ever leave me."

A previous hearing was told that Donnelly had been "actively psychotic" at the time of the attack.

He also pleaded guilty to the offences of possession of offensive weapons and assault occasioning actual bodily harm relating to a previous attack on a mother and son in June 2021.

Chase

CCTV footage shown in court traced Donnelly's movements on that day of Aidan's death.

The two were neighbours - although they barely knew each other.

The deceased left his flat at about 11:00 GMT. After being approached by Donnelly, Aidan crossed the road and started running along Church Street, still wearing a motorcycle helmet and being chased by him.

The fatal stabbing happened on Church Street in Downpatrick

The chase continued and, at one point, Aidan turned round, looked back at Donnelly and appeared to gesture at him before he crossed the road into oncoming traffic.

The CCTV footage then showed Donnelly catching up with Aidan on the pavement outside a car dealership.

After Aidan fell to the ground, Donnelly straddled his victim, who he stabbed repeatedly in the chest, leg and torso.

Members of the public intervened, pulled Donnelly off Aidan and called 999. He was arrested while still being restrained by the public.

Two large kitchen knives used by Donnelly were seized from the scene.

A prosecutor at an earlier hearing said that at the scene Donnelly shouted it was a revenge attack for his brother who had been murdered the previous evening, which the lawyer said "transpired to be completely wrong".

Donnelly was admitted to a psychiatric unit - the Shannon clinic - in the month after the killing where he remains.

Two consultant psychiatrists agreed that the defendant was suffering from an abnormality of mental functioning arising from schizophrenia at the time of the attack.

A psychiatrist indicated that he would probably not need to remain for treatment much longer and envisaged him moving to prison.

Donnelly's defence barrister told the court that his client had not been aware that he was suffering from acute mental illness until after the "terrible act" in which Aidan died.

He said his client has expressed "regret, remorse and heartbreak".

'Senseless attack'

Aidan Mann was worried about Donnelly's behaviour

Det Insp Foreman said said the "senseless" attack had happened in the late morning, "when members of the public were going about their business".

The detective thanked those who ran to Aidan's assistance and who phoned emergency services.

"There are no words that can undo the tragic events of that morning," Det Insp Foreman added.

"There's nothing that can ease the pain and sadness of those who knew and loved Aidan, and my thoughts are very much with them today."

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