Irish teen cleared on Guyana president death threat charge

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:02 by GxMedia

(BBC NEWS).-Irish teen cleared on Guyana president death threat charge

An Irish teenager charged with threatening to assassinate the president of Guyana has had the case against him dropped.

Prosecutors announced on 30 May that they were dropping the charges against gap year student Cillian Crosson, 17, from Lambtown, Ardee.

He had been working as a volunteer teacher in South America.

He was out at drinking at a festival when he made “a misplaced joke” that he would shoot the president in the head.

However, he was arrested on 29 March at Tabatinga in Lethem and charged with threatening the head of state.

A defence lawyer argued that his client was drunk and was not accustomed to local alcohol.

Mr Crosson had taken a year off before heading to university to study maths and English.

He was teaching children in Lethem and has remained in the country to finish the teaching year.