Caroline Roche pleads not guilty to murder charge

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Caroline Roche was on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with murdering her 84-year-old partner Walter Plunkett at Ballyedmond, County Wexford, on 19 August 2012. She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The proceedings were reported on 18 June 2014.

The report said Walter Plunkett died from asphyxiation and had multiple wounds to his head and body and fractured ribs. Caroline Roche told gardaí she had killed him. She said she feared he was going to rape her when she attacked him, but later told gardaí he would not have done that.

The jury heard that Caroline Roche had suffered from schizophrenia for many years and said she had missed a fortnightly injection for her condition. A doctor initially deemed her unfit for interview. The report said a doctor described a relapse of psychotic schizophrenia, but she was deemed fit for interview the following day.

Prosecution senior counsel Paul Burns told jurors they could return a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity if, after hearing a consultant psychiatrist’s evidence, they were satisfied she had been suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing and ought not to be held responsible for her actions.

The trial was due to resume with medical evidence the following day, according to the report.