Courts / Kildare / Report

Woman tells court she "always believed" husband who killed son "could not have known what he was doing"

Summary

Yusif Ali Abdi, the appellant, was committed to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) for inpatient care following a retrial at the Central Criminal Court. Abdi, who pleaded not guilty to the 2001 murder of his 20-month-old son, Nathan, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. This verdict followed the Court of Appeal quashing his 2003 murder conviction after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2013. During the retrial, four consultant psychiatrists testified that Abdi suffered from schizophrenia at the time of the incident. Judge Alexander Owens accepted the evidence that Abdi suffers from a mental disorder and ordered his commitment to the CMH, where his condition will be reviewed by the Mental Health Review Board. Abdi's wife, Amanda Bailey, delivered a victim impact statement, stating she always believed her husband could not have known what he was doing. She described the profound grief of losing their son and expressed a sense of peace with the verdict. The court heard that Abdi had previously spent 16 years in prison for the offense. The matter was concluded with the judge's order committing Abdi to the CMH, rather than an adjournment.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Woman tells court she "always believed" husband who killed son "could not have known what he was doing". Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted

When:

• April 17, 2001 Hearing Or Sentence
• August 1999 Hearing Or Sentence
• April 17 2001 Hearing Or Sentence
• December 17 Other
• 2019-12-20 Publication

Why: "He loved our family dog 'Tink' because he couldn't say Twink and he imitated my mum by clapping his hands at the back door to call her. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Appeal Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report