Garda murder accused previously had symptoms on 'extreme end' of mental illness, trial hears

Evidence presented at the Central Criminal Court has detailed an extensive psychiatric history for Stephen Silver, the 46-year-old motorbike mechanic from Foxford, County Mayo, who stands accused of the June 2020 murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan at Castlerea, County Roscommon. Dr Brenda Wright, interim clinical director at the Central Mental Hospital, gave testimony describing Silver's diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder with psychotic features at the severe end of the clinical spectrum. She outlined multiple psychiatric admissions spanning from 1997, during which Silver exhibited extreme agitation, made threats toward staff, and refused medication. A significant incident in 2006 saw him barricaded in his apartment while armed with a sword and wearing combat gear, illustrating the intensity of his condition during acute episodes. Dr Wright's assessment concluded that Silver's mental capacity was substantially impaired at the time of the fatal shooting. She attributed this impairment to a relapse of bipolar affective disorder precipitated by non-compliance with antipsychotic medication, which he had discontinued following his release from hospital in September 2019. During garda interviews conducted after the incident, Silver's behaviour was documented as facetious, contemptuous, and erratic, with incongruent statements and disinhibited conduct consistent with manic relapse. Dr Wright noted that ten months of medication whilst in custody returned him to his baseline mental state by April 2021. The trial evidence was contested. Professor Harry Kennedy, a consultant psychiatrist, maintained that mental illness played no material role in the shooting, presenting a divergent clinical opinion on the accused's mental state at the material time. Silver has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The jury before Ms Justice Tara Burns must determine the weight of psychiatric evidence in establishing his state of mind when the shooting occurred.