Man who killed elderly bachelor in psychiatric unit jailed for eight years

Ian Harman, aged 50 from Carrickallen near Cootehill in County Cavan, has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for the manslaughter of Michael Treanor, an 82-year-old patient at the psychiatric unit of Cavan General Hospital. The killing occurred on 27 June 2011. Harman initially pleaded not guilty to murder but changed his plea to guilty of manslaughter during trial at the Central Criminal Court in July 2014. He accepted the lesser charge on grounds of diminished responsibility under the Criminal Law Insanity Act. The prosecution established that Harman used a belt and pillow to kill Mr Treanor, who suffered from dementia. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Harman had approached staff that morning and indicated what he had done, and was observed by a nurse to be calm and composed at the time. The defence argued that abrupt withdrawal of anti-psychotic medication following Harman's voluntary admission to the hospital had caused him to experience a mental disorder affecting his culpability for the offence. Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan imposed a ten-year sentence in October 2014, with the final two years suspended, backdated to 28 June 2011. The judge considered mitigating factors including Harman's guilty plea, expression of remorse, cooperation with gardaí and psychiatric services, and his participation in rehabilitation programmes while in custody. The court imposed a two-year period of post-release supervision and ordered Harman's participation in an integrated sentence management programme. The victim's family expressed concern following sentencing, with a relative delivering a victim impact statement indicating they believed the legal system had favoured the defendant during proceedings.