A man who killed his mother with an axe after an argument over an iPhone has been found not guilty of her insanity murder.
This morning in the Central Criminal Court, a jury of seven women and five men returned the special verdict to Judge Ellen Ring after deliberating for three and a half hours on the case of Patrick Dunne, who had pleaded not guilty to the murder of his mother Susan Dunne in Kerry in 2013.
The court was told that Mr Dunne, who has autism, admitted to killing his mother but denied it was murder. Psychiatric experts said that he was unable to understand or control his actions during the night and that he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
Mr. Dunne was heard at trial to have told gardaí in interviews that he “lost” over a disagreement over buying an iPhone that Ms. Dunne had deemed too expensive. Mrs. Dunne died after receiving six ax wounds to the head while she was lying on her bed.
The jury heard psychiatric evidence that Mr. Dunne had “little understanding of the act or its consequences and was unable to refrain” killing his mother. They also felt that Mr. Dunne felt that his mother was controlling him and that she prevented him from having an independent life.
The 28-year-old admitted to killing his mother “without any lawful justification” but psychiatrists for both the prosecution and the defence agreed that the defendant was insane, as defined by law, at the time of death of his mother.
Mr Dunne of Ballingeragh, Lixnaw, Co Kerry, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his mother Susan, aged 62, between 26 and 27 November 2013, inclusive, at the same address.
At about 3:30 p.m. yesterday, the jury broke off its deliberations and passed a note to the judge asking him to inspect the axe, which they took to the jury room and returned minutes later.
A pathologist had told the court that Mrs. Dunne had died after being hit in the head with a sharp weapon six times while she was in her bed.
The jury told the chancellor to be unanimous in the verdict of not guilty.
Mr. Dunne was admitted to the Central Psychiatric Hospital under Section 5 (3) of the Criminal Law (Insanity Law).
Mrs. Justice Ring praised the jury and was discharged from jury duty for seven years, reports RTE.
She updated the matter to November 4, for a medical update on Mr. Dunne and to prepare a victim impact statement.
She described the case as “difficult”, “particularly when the life of Susan Dunne came to an end in such a violent way,” reported RTE.
Some people on social media are saying that too many Judges are allowing people to play the mental health card and thus their sentence is generally reduced.
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