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Doctor who stabbed toddler son to death not guilty of murder by reason of insanity

Summary

In a south Dublin case, Kuwaiti‑born doctor Maha Al Adheem, aged 43, was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of her three‑year‑old autistic son, Omar Omran. On 10 July 2017, Al Adheem stabbed Omar 20 times, mainly to the trunk, and also stabbed herself. The boy's body lay in the middle of a bed, surrounded by blood. Al Adheem admitted to the act, saying a "power" compelled her to take a knife from a drawer. Two consultant psychiatrists testified that she suffered from paranoid schizophrenia in July 2017 and could not appreciate the moral wrongness of her actions. The Central Criminal Court delivered a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity after a 1 hour 46‑minute deliberation. The judge ordered her to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital and to appear again the next day for a psychiatric assessment.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Doctor who stabbed toddler son to death not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. Charges or matters: murdering Omar Omran on July 10, 2017 at the same address. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Not guilty by reason of insanity

When:

• July 10, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• July 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
• July 10 Incident
• July 12 Incident
• July 7 Other
• January 9, 2014 Other
• March 14, 2017 Other
• Christmas Other
• 2018-12-20 Publication

Why: Ms Al Adheem said she felt very depressed in the months prior to the event because of her child's autism and because she said schools were refusing to take her son. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Finding Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report