Courts / Dublin / Report
Man who stabbed lover to death found guilty of killing with diminished responsibility
Summary
In a Central Criminal Court trial, Valerijs Leitons, a 25‑year‑old Latvian national with paranoid schizophrenia, was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility for stabbing his lover, 34‑year‑old Ms Valdgeima, to death on 26 June 2019 at the Binary Hub aparthotel. The jury, after eight hours and 34 minutes of deliberation over two days, returned a verdict of guilty of manslaughter by a majority of ten to two. Leitons had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but the jury rejected that defence, concluding he did not meet the three criteria for that verdict. The case involved a complex psychiatric history, with expert witnesses presenting differing views on Leitons' mental state. The judge remanded him in custody until a sentencing hearing on 8 December, with a victim impact report to be prepared. The trial highlighted the interplay between mental disorder and criminal responsibility in Irish law.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Man who stabbed lover to death found guilty of killing with diminished responsibility. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Not guilty by reason of insanity
When:
- May 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
- 26 June 2019 Incident
- December 8 Adjournment
- November 23 Adjournment
- Tuesday 25 June Other
- February 2018 Incident
- February 2019 Incident
- 2021-10-12 Publication
Why: To have met the verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, the jury must have found that Leitons was suffering from a mental disorder such that he should not be held responsible for the killing because he did not know the nature and quality of his actions, or he did not know what he was doing was morally wrong, or was unable to refrain from committing the act. CNI source report
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Not guilty by reason of insanity
Outcome: Not guilty by reason of insanity; The judge remanded the accused in custody until December 8 for a sentence hearing and directed the preparation of a victim impact report on that date.; The judge remanded the accused in custody until December 8 for a sentence hearing and directed the preparation of a victim impact report on that date.
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- St Kevin's Gardens
- Bonham Street
- Dublin
- Dr Smith's view
- Central Mental Hospital
- from Kevin Street Garda Station
- Kevin Street
Topics
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