THE MOTHER OF a 21-year-old Longford man who died after being punched in New York last year has said “there are no winners” in the case as a Dublin man pleaded guilty to the assault.  

RTÉ has reported that 26-year-old Steven O’Brien yesterday pleaded guilty in a New York court to assaulting Danny McGee, who died after being punched outside a pub in Queens last year. 

O’Brien will now serve six months in prison for the offence. His sentence was agreed in a plea deal at Queens County Criminal Court yesterday. 

McGee (21) was found lying unresponsive on the ground outside the pub in Queens in the early hours of the morning on 22 November last year. 

He was later pronounced dead in hospital, with the cause of death being determined as a blunt impact injury to the head.

Speaking to RTÉ outside the court, defence lawyer Matthew Gartenberg, on behalf of O’Brien, said “it’s a very sad day for everyone”. 

“[O'Brien] is remorseful, very apologetic, and he’s very sad about the whole thing. It’s been a very tough year and it’s a life altering experience, which hopefully no one ever has to go through or experience,” Gartenberg said. 

A number of members from the McKee family travelled to New York from Ireland for yesterday’s hearing. 

McGee’s mother Colleen spoke to reporters outside the court. 

“There really are no winners here today. Regardless of what happened, Danny will never come back,” she said. 

We miss him every second of every day, and that’s how it’s going to be. 

When asked if six months was enough, she said she didn’t think anything would make her happy and that “there’s nothing that’s going to bring Danny back”. 

“Whether he went for six months, six years, it’s not going to make a change in my life going forward,” she said. 

Colleen McGee described her son as a “wonderful, wonderful kid” who had his “whole life ahead of him”. 

“He was a friend to everyone, young and old. He was caring, he was funny. He was a great kid, and everyone misses him,” she said. 

RTÉ has reported that O’Brien was released on continuing bail and will return to court on 8 January for sentencing. 

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