Courts / Ireland / Report

Central Mental Hospital has no bed for mother who smothered child

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court hearing, a 43‑year‑old woman found not guilty by reason of insanity for murdering her three‑year‑old daughter was unable to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) because the facility had reached full capacity for female patients. The court had ordered her committal for a psychiatric assessment, but no bed was available, so the order was vacated and she was released on bail. The HSE's counsel confirmed that every effort was being made to secure a bed, but the CMH had no capacity and a transfer to a third‑party facility was deemed unsuitable. The judge remanded her on continuing bail until the following morning, hoping the matter would be resolved then. The trial had included testimony that the defendant was suffering from severe depression with psychotic features and believed her child was profoundly disabled. The toddler died of cerebral hypoxia caused by suffocation on 13 February 2018.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Central Mental Hospital has no bed for mother who smothered child. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• November 5 Hearing Or Sentence
• February 13, 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2019-10-24 Publication

Why: A mother found to have been insane when she smothered her child with a pillow cannot be committed to the Central Mental Hospital because the facility has reached "full capacity in its quota of female patients", a court has heard. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report