Stephen Silver, whose defence will claim he was suffering from a relapse of mental illness when he shot Garda detective Colm Horkan,was “out of touch with reality” in the hours after the shooting, a Central Criminal Court doctor said.
Dr. Greg Kelly, a general practitioner, told defence attorney Róisín Lacey SC that he spoke to Mr. Silver early in the morning at Castlerea Garda station shortly after the shooting.
The doctor was concerned that the defendant hit his head against the cell wall, saying he “came to a fairly quick decision that this man is not doing well. He was not reacting normally for someone involved in such a tragic and serious event,” reports RTE.
He described Mr. Silver as restless, agitated and talking so fast that he “passing himself out”.
He seemed paranoid and at one point he refused a glass of water because he believed he was poisoned.
His reaction to what happened seemed “fairly bizarre and unreal,” the doctor said, adding that such behavior is often seen in people in the “manic phase of bipolar disorder, reports RTE.
Dr. Kelly gave Mr. Silver 50 milligrams of an antipsychotic. Later that morning he visited the station again and told the Gardaí that Mr Silver was eligible to be interviewed, but he recommended that he be evaluated by a psychiatrist. The doctor also contacted the Central Mental Hospital.
According to RTE, Dr. Kelly told Ms. Lacey, “I knew they were the experts in this type of situation. I had formed the opinion that a psychiatrically ill person had committed the most serious crime you can commit, had killed an innocent garda doing his duty, so I was very anxious to get this right and to ensure that the proper procedure was carried out.”
Stephen Silver, 46, a motorcycle mechanic from Aughavard, Foxford, Co Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Det Gda Horkan on 17 June 2020 in Castlerea, Co Roscommon.
He is accused of committing the murder knowing or being reckless that Det Gda Horkan was a member of An Garda Síochána acting on duty for him. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter due to reduced liability.
During the opening of the trial, prosecutor Michael Delaney SC told the jury that the defense will argue that Mr. Silver was having a relapse of his mental health problems at the time of the shooting and that, therefore, his guilt is essentially reduced.
Dr. Kelly told Ms. Lacey that around 3:00 pm the following afternoon he saw Mr. Silver again and this time found him “calm and laid back.”
He didn’t seem worried and said that he would be “out of here this evening”. Dr. Kelly thought that his behavior was not normal and that he was “out of touch with reality”.
At one point he complained that the Gardaí had not brought him a cup of tea and said that was “the main reason” the Gardaí were there. Dr. Kelly said this was another indication of his “detachment from it all,” acting like he was in a hotel looking for room service.
Dr. Kelly told prosecutor James Dwyer SC that when Mr. Silver was quiet, he told him that he was getting along just fine before Covid, but “everything went wrong after that.” He lived in a shed and had not slept or taken medication.
Dr. Kelly said that Mr. Silver was probably not receiving the adequate monitoring that a person in his position needs and that psychiatric services were provided by telephone, which was of “very limited value for psychiatric patients,” reports RTE.
Today the jury heard from Dr. Linda Mulligan, State Pathologist, who told Mr. Delaney that Det Gda Horkan was shot 11 times, once from a distance of 12 inches or less, and sustained catastrophic injuries with no survivors. He died of multiple gunshot wounds with no other contributing factors.
Prior to Dr. Mulligan’s testimony, Ms. Lacey formally admitted that the defendant inflicted an additional injury noted by the pathologist to Det Gda Horkan’s eye and temple “as a result of a blow by the butt of a gun,” reports RTE.
The trial continues before Judge Paul McDermott and a jury of seven men and five women.
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