Insanity plea over Harold's Cross killing
A 25-year-old man who carried out a savage attack on another man with a garden shears had sought help for a psychiatric illness three times in the days before the killing.
Thomas Connors of Manor Court, Mount Argus, Harold's Cross in Dublin has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of 30-year-old Offaly man Michael Hughes in December 2007.
His wife told doctors that she had tried to get help for her husband in the days before the incident but they were 'sent away with some pills'.
The Central Criminal court heard he suffered from schizophrenia and had been admitted to hospital on two previous occasions.
In the days leading up to the killing he had gone to hospital three times.
On the third occasion, the day before the killing, arrangements were being made to admit him to St James' Hospital from St Vincent's Hospital when he absconded.
A consultant forensic psychiatrist told the court he believed Thomas Connors was legally insane when he stabbed Michael Hughes on 15 December 2007.
He said Mr Connors was delusional and was preoccupied with the devil.
He said Mr Connors believed he was on a mission from God to kill the devil.
He believed his father-in-law was the devil and by killing the victim, who was unknown to him, he was also killing his father-in-law and therefore the devil.
The court heard Mr Connors wife had left the family home two days before the incident because she feared for her safety and that of her baby.
Earlier the court heard that on the night of 15 December 2007 Michael Hughes had spent a night out with friends in Dublin.
He slept in the stairwell of his cousin's flat at Manor Villas when he could not get into the flat.
At 6am Mr Connors, who lived in the next apartment block, crashed through the doors with a garden shears and launched a savage attack on Mr Hughes.
The court heard he inflicted 143 wounds on the victim.
When gardaí arrived he told them: 'I had a fight with the devil and the devil is gone.'
After his arrest he said he had been seeing the devil all day and then he showed up in the next apartment block.
Opening the case Paul O'Higgins SC for the prosecution said Mr Connors was not disputing any of the facts but would be saying he was not in possession of his right mind - he was insane.
The court heard that other residents in the apartment block had heard screaming in the early hours of the morning.
One man described how he could hear a man with a midlands accent shouting and screaming and he could hear pounding.
As he went to call the gardaí he could hear the man get quieter but the pounding went on.
RTE
