Courts / Cavan / Report
Psychiatric patient accused of murder said to nurse he did "a bad thing," trial hears
Summary
A psychiatric patient has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court charged with the murder of a fellow patient at Cavan General Hospital's psychiatric unit on 27 June 2011. Ian Harman, aged 50, of Cootehill, Co Cavan, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Michael Treanor, an 82-year-old man suffering from dementia. The prosecution told the jury that Harman approached a nurse that morning and stated he had smothered the deceased with a pillow. The nurse subsequently found Treanor without a pulse, and resuscitation attempts proved unsuccessful. The defence indicated that Harman accepts responsibility for causing Treanor's death and does not dispute the identity of the deceased, but submitted that the focus should remain on the accused's state of mind at the time. Evidence from gardaí and a forensic psychiatrist confirmed Harman's admissions and his fitness for interview. The trial, heard before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury, is expected to last approximately one week.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Psychiatric patient accused of murder said to nurse he did "a bad thing," trial hears. Charges or matters: Mr Treanor's murder. Procedural stage: trial
When:
- June 27, 2011 Incident
- 2014-07-09 Publication
Case subjects
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Cavan General Hospital
- Central Mental Hospital
- of Cavan garda station
- Cavan
- at Cavan garda station
- by gardai at the garda station
Topics
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