Garda murder accused was 'outraged' at being detained because of 'learned impunity', psychiatrist tells trial

A consultant psychiatrist has told the Central Criminal Court that Stephen Silver, who stands accused of murdering Garda Colm Horkan with the officer's own firearm, displayed behaviour consistent with his personality rather than mental illness during garda interviews. Professor Harry Kennedy said the accused showed no regret or sympathy for the deceased and appeared angry and self-pitying, but these responses could be attributed to the stress of arrest. The psychiatrist stated that Mr Silver had developed "learned impunity" through a long history of disruptive conduct in Castlebar and surrounding areas, leading him to expect no charges would follow his actions. Mr Silver, aged 46, a motorbike mechanic from Aughavard in Foxford, County Mayo, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder but guilty to manslaughter. The shooting occurred at Castlerea, County Roscommon, on 17 June 2020. The trial, before Ms Justice Tara Burns, continues with the jury's focus on the accused's state of mind at the time of the incident.