Man pleads guilty to the manslaughter of chef in Co Cork

Olivia Kelleher

A man has entered a plea of guilty to the manslaughter of a 33-year-old chef in Cobh, Co Cork, in March 2024, whilst denying a charge of murdering him.

Dylan Scannell (30) was arraigned at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork this morning on a charge of murdering Ian Baitson in Eurospar car park, Newtown Road, Cobh on March 19th, 2024.

Mr Scannell of O’Rahilly Street in Cobh stated in reply: “Not guilty to murder, guilty of manslaughter.”

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford ordered the jury of six men and six women to return on Tuesday morning for the commencement of the murder.

She warned them not to “attempt any independent investigations” overnight.

“No looking up things on the internet, no visiting the locus, nothing like that. It would be disastrous. No going on social media. The integrity of the process must be maintained at all times.”

In empanelling the jury Ms Justice Lankford told the panel not to serve if they knew any of the witnesses listed or if they were from Cobh in Co Cork or had ties to the area. They were informed that Mr Baitson had worked at Fitzpatrick’s in Glounthaune, Co Cork.

The date of the charge relates to March 19th, 2024, when Mr Baitson died at Cork University Hospital.

It is alleged that Mr Baitson was fatally injured four days earlier on the evening of March 15th, 2024, in the Eurostar car park on the Newtown Road in Cobh.

Mr Scannell was first charged with the murder of Ian Baitson on March 25th, 2024, at a sitting of Midleton District Court in Co Cork.

Prosecution Senior Counsel, Donal O’Sullivan, previously told a pre-trial hearing of the case that the plea of guilty to manslaughter would shorten the duration of the trial.

Mr Baitson is survived by his two children, his mother and brother, extended family and friends. He was predeceased by his father.

At his funeral in St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh his brother Richard thanked gardai, paramedics and the staff at the hospital for the assistance they had provided to the family.

Mourners were asked to donate to the ICU unit at the hospital in which he died in lieu of flowers.

The trial will get underway at 11am on Tuesday in Anglesea Street Courthouse in Cork in front of Ms Justice Eileen Creedon. Mr Scannell will be represented by Tom Creed, SC.