A 35-YEAR-OLD Dublin man who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia has been found not guilty by reason of insanity of unprovoked assaults on two women in Dublin city centre.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that at the time David Egan assaulted the two women he was suffering from delusions that he was being hypnotised at night and sexually assaulted. Egan believed that the women were laughing at him and taunting him about being raped.

David Egan, formerly of Longford Street Little but originally from Terenure, Dublin pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to assault causing harm to two women in separate assaults within an hour of each other in the city centre on 14 April 2015.

The court heard he had stopped taking his medication prior to these offences.

Beaumont Hospital

Egan has spent most of his time since the assaults as an inpatient at the psychiatric unit in Beaumont Hospital. He is responding well to his current medication and environment.

Orla Crowe SC, defending, told the jury that David Egan admitted that the assaults took place but that due to his mental disorder he did not understand what he was doing at the time.

Both prosecution and defence asked the jury of one woman and 11 men to return the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity available under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006.

This law allows that an accused person suffering from a mental disorder not to be held responsible for an alleged act if they meet certain criteria laid out in the legislation.

Consultant forensic psychiatrists for both sides agreed that David Egan fulfilled the criteria in that he did not know what he was doing was wrong and he was unable to stop himself from carrying out the assaults.

Judge Martin Nolan told the jury that the Oireachtas had passed a “compassionate and good act” which protects persons such as Egan but also protects society. He told them Egan would not walk free from the court if they returned the special verdict but that he would go to hospital to be assessed.

The jury took a matter of minutes to return its verdict.

Judge Nolan ordered that David Egan should be brought to the Central Mental Hospital where his treatment needs will be assessed. He adjourned the case to 17  November next.

Comments are off as the case is still before the courts.

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