schizophrenic who stabbed psychiatrist not guilty by reason of insanity

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0723/1216740957248.htmlParanoid schizophrenic who stabbed doctor not guilty by reason of insanityWed, Jul 23, 2008AJURY has found a paranoid schizophrenic "not guilty by reason ofinsanity" of stabbing his consultant psychiatrist in the stomach,leaving him with life-threatening injuries that required emergencysurgery.Gavin Francis (26), Earls Cliff, Ceannchor Road, Howth,had pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing Dr McDonagh serious harm on September 19th, 2006.The juryat Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which heard admissions at the start ofthe trial from defence counsel, Luan Ó Braonain SC, on behalf of hisclient, took 67 minutes to reach its verdict on day two of the trial.JudgeDesmond Hogan thanked the jurors for performing "an important function"and ordered that Mr Francis be transferred to the Central MentalHospital (CMH) where he should remain and undergo the appropriatetreatment until further notice. He has been resident there since thestabbing.The jury heard how Mr Francis told gardaí that it was"in his head" to stab his doctor 30 times and that "in his fantasy" hewould even cut his head off. Mr Francis told gardaí that Dr McDonaghhad been the "big authority" in his life and was "a good man, a gooddoctor" but he found "it harder and harder not to think of doing himin".The knife entered the front of Dr McDonagh's stomach, leftthrough the back, and pierced his pancreas. He required 13 units ofblood and spent time in intensive care before leaving hospital.Sgt Fitzgerald told Shane Costelloe, prosecuting, that Mr Francis saidhe bought a kitchen knife from Clerys and a box of chocolates from anewsagent on the morning of the attack.During the consultationwith Dr McDonagh he tried to keep the idea of using the knife out ofhis head but "two seconds" after he gave him the chocolates, he saw theknife in his rucksack, grabbed it and stabbed him.Sgt Fitzgeraldsaid Mr Francis told gardaí he bought the chocolates because he wantedto give Dr McDonagh a gift for treating him for the previous two years.He said the doctor was his "only association with everything that waswrong in my life" and added: "You might say that the medication wasworse than the illness."Prof Harry Kennedy, clinical director ofthe CMH, told Mr Costelloe that Mr Francis was suffering from paranoidschizophrenia when he assaulted Dr McDonagh. He said that at the timehe had many urges to harm people, especially Dr McDonagh.ProfKennedy said Mr Francis found this and other urges "profoundlyunpleasant" and that he tried "to banish them, struggled with them andtried to resist them". He said the severity of Mr Francis's illnessmeant his reasoning was impaired and he was unable to refrain fromstabbing Dr McDonagh.Dr O'Connell, a consultantpsychiatrist who has been treating Mr Francis at the CMH, said that inhis opinion Mr Francis showed "marked symptoms of a mental disorder" atthe time he stabbed Dr McDonagh and it was his belief that "he was notmorally processing" what he was doing.© 2008 The Irish Times

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0723/1216740957248.htmlParanoid schizophrenic who stabbed doctor not guilty by reason of insanityWed, Jul 23, 2008AJURY has found a paranoid schizophrenic "not guilty by reason ofinsanity" of stabbing his consultant psychiatrist in the stomach,leaving him with life-threatening injuries that required emergencysurgery.Gavin Francis (26), Earls Cliff, Ceannchor Road, Howth,had pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing Dr McDonagh serious harm on September 19th, 2006.The juryat Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which heard admissions at the start ofthe trial from defence counsel, Luan Ó Braonain SC, on behalf of hisclient, took 67 minutes to reach its verdict on day two of the trial.JudgeDesmond Hogan thanked the jurors for performing "an important function"and ordered that Mr Francis be transferred to the Central MentalHospital (CMH) where he should remain and undergo the appropriatetreatment until further notice. He has been resident there since thestabbing.The jury heard how Mr Francis told gardaí that it was"in his head" to stab his doctor 30 times and that "in his fantasy" hewould even cut his head off. Mr Francis told gardaí that Dr McDonaghhad been the "big authority" in his life and was "a good man, a gooddoctor" but he found "it harder and harder not to think of doing himin".The knife entered the front of Dr McDonagh's stomach, leftthrough the back, and pierced his pancreas. He required 13 units ofblood and spent time in intensive care before leaving hospital.Sgt Fitzgerald told Shane Costelloe, prosecuting, that Mr Francis saidhe bought a kitchen knife from Clerys and a box of chocolates from anewsagent on the morning of the attack.During the consultationwith Dr McDonagh he tried to keep the idea of using the knife out ofhis head but "two seconds" after he gave him the chocolates, he saw theknife in his rucksack, grabbed it and stabbed him.Sgt Fitzgeraldsaid Mr Francis told gardaí he bought the chocolates because he wantedto give Dr McDonagh a gift for treating him for the previous two years.He said the doctor was his "only association with everything that waswrong in my life" and added: "You might say that the medication wasworse than the illness."Prof Harry Kennedy, clinical director ofthe CMH, told Mr Costelloe that Mr Francis was suffering from paranoidschizophrenia when he assaulted Dr McDonagh. He said that at the timehe had many urges to harm people, especially Dr McDonagh.ProfKennedy said Mr Francis found this and other urges "profoundlyunpleasant" and that he tried "to banish them, struggled with them andtried to resist them". He said the severity of Mr Francis's illnessmeant his reasoning was impaired and he was unable to refrain fromstabbing Dr McDonagh.Dr O'Connell, a consultantpsychiatrist who has been treating Mr Francis at the CMH, said that inhis opinion Mr Francis showed "marked symptoms of a mental disorder" atthe time he stabbed Dr McDonagh and it was his belief that "he was notmorally processing" what he was doing.© 2008 The Irish Times

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0723/1216740957248.htmlParanoid schizophrenic who stabbed doctor not guilty by reason of insanityWed, Jul 23, 2008AJURY has found a paranoid schizophrenic "not guilty by reason ofinsanity" of stabbing his consultant psychiatrist in the stomach,leaving him with life-threatening injuries that required emergencysurgery.Gavin Francis (26), Earls Cliff, Ceannchor Road, Howth,had pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing Dr McDonagh serious harm on September 19th, 2006.The juryat Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which heard admissions at the start ofthe trial from defence counsel, Luan Ó Braonain SC, on behalf of hisclient, took 67 minutes to reach its verdict on day two of the trial.JudgeDesmond Hogan thanked the jurors for performing "an important function"and ordered that Mr Francis be transferred to the Central MentalHospital (CMH) where he should remain and undergo the appropriatetreatment until further notice. He has been resident there since thestabbing.The jury heard how Mr Francis told gardaí that it was"in his head" to stab his doctor 30 times and that "in his fantasy" hewould even cut his head off. Mr Francis told gardaí that Dr McDonaghhad been the "big authority" in his life and was "a good man, a gooddoctor" but he found "it harder and harder not to think of doing himin".The knife entered the front of Dr McDonagh's stomach, leftthrough the back, and pierced his pancreas. He required 13 units ofblood and spent time in intensive care before leaving hospital.Sgt Fitzgerald told Shane Costelloe, prosecuting, that Mr Francis saidhe bought a kitchen knife from Clerys and a box of chocolates from anewsagent on the morning of the attack.During the consultationwith Dr McDonagh he tried to keep the idea of using the knife out ofhis head but "two seconds" after he gave him the chocolates, he saw theknife in his rucksack, grabbed it and stabbed him.Sgt Fitzgeraldsaid Mr Francis told gardaí he bought the chocolates because he wantedto give Dr McDonagh a gift for treating him for the previous two years.He said the doctor was his "only association with everything that waswrong in my life" and added: "You might say that the medication wasworse than the illness."Prof Harry Kennedy, clinical director ofthe CMH, told Mr Costelloe that Mr Francis was suffering from paranoidschizophrenia when he assaulted Dr McDonagh. He said that at the timehe had many urges to harm people, especially Dr McDonagh.ProfKennedy said Mr Francis found this and other urges "profoundlyunpleasant" and that he tried "to banish them, struggled with them andtried to resist them". He said the severity of Mr Francis's illnessmeant his reasoning was impaired and he was unable to refrain fromstabbing Dr McDonagh.Dr O'Connell, a consultantpsychiatrist who has been treating Mr Francis at the CMH, said that inhis opinion Mr Francis showed "marked symptoms of a mental disorder" atthe time he stabbed Dr McDonagh and it was his belief that "he was notmorally processing" what he was doing.© 2008 The Irish Times

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0723/1216740957248.htmlParanoid schizophrenic who stabbed doctor not guilty by reason of insanityWed, Jul 23, 2008AJURY has found a paranoid schizophrenic "not guilty by reason ofinsanity" of stabbing his consultant psychiatrist in the stomach,leaving him with life-threatening injuries that required emergencysurgery.Gavin Francis (26), Earls Cliff, Ceannchor Road, Howth,had pleaded not guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing Dr McDonagh serious harm on September 19th, 2006.The juryat Dublin Circuit Criminal Court which heard admissions at the start ofthe trial from defence counsel, Luan Ó Braonain SC, on behalf of hisclient, took 67 minutes to reach its verdict on day two of the trial.JudgeDesmond Hogan thanked the jurors for performing "an important function"and ordered that Mr Francis be transferred to the Central MentalHospital (CMH) where he should remain and undergo the appropriatetreatment until further notice. He has been resident there since thestabbing.The jury heard how Mr Francis told gardaí that it was"in his head" to stab his doctor 30 times and that "in his fantasy" hewould even cut his head off. Mr Francis told gardaí that Dr McDonaghhad been the "big authority" in his life and was "a good man, a gooddoctor" but he found "it harder and harder not to think of doing himin".The knife entered the front of Dr McDonagh's stomach, leftthrough the back, and pierced his pancreas. He required 13 units ofblood and spent time in intensive care before leaving hospital.Sgt Fitzgerald told Shane Costelloe, prosecuting, that Mr Francis saidhe bought a kitchen knife from Clerys and a box of chocolates from anewsagent on the morning of the attack.During the consultationwith Dr McDonagh he tried to keep the idea of using the knife out ofhis head but "two seconds" after he gave him the chocolates, he saw theknife in his rucksack, grabbed it and stabbed him.Sgt Fitzgeraldsaid Mr Francis told gardaí he bought the chocolates because he wantedto give Dr McDonagh a gift for treating him for the previous two years.He said the doctor was his "only association with everything that waswrong in my life" and added: "You might say that the medication wasworse than the illness."Prof Harry Kennedy, clinical director ofthe CMH, told Mr Costelloe that Mr Francis was suffering from paranoidschizophrenia when he assaulted Dr McDonagh. He said that at the timehe had many urges to harm people, especially Dr McDonagh.ProfKennedy said Mr Francis found this and other urges "profoundlyunpleasant" and that he tried "to banish them, struggled with them andtried to resist them". He said the severity of Mr Francis's illnessmeant his reasoning was impaired and he was unable to refrain fromstabbing Dr McDonagh.Dr O'Connell, a consultantpsychiatrist who has been treating Mr Francis at the CMH, said that inhis opinion Mr Francis showed "marked symptoms of a mental disorder" atthe time he stabbed Dr McDonagh and it was his belief that "he was notmorally processing" what he was doing.© 2008 The Irish Times