Courts / Dublin / Report

Machete attack accused guilty of murder

Summary

Patrick McDonagh, aged 52, was found guilty of murder after a two‑week trial at the Central Criminal Court. He stabbed, slashed and chopped 73‑year‑old Peter McDonald with a machete and a knife, leaving the victim so badly injured that he was identified by dental records. A jury unanimously rejected McDonagh's defence that an acute episode of schizophrenia substantially diminished his responsibility. The prosecution argued that any mental abnormality would likely be due to cannabis use and that McDonagh's symptoms were malingering. McDonagh had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter. He will be sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice Michael MacGrath on Wednesday. Witnesses described McDonald as a gentle man who kept to himself and lived with cats. The trial included testimony from two psychiatrists with differing views on McDonagh's mental state.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Machete attack accused guilty of murder. Charges or matters: murder but guilty to manslaughter for the unlawful killing of Peter McDonald (73) at the deceased's home on Whitechapel Road on July 25, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 25, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-02-12 Publication

Why: A jury took a little over five hours to unanimously reject Patrick McDonagh's claim that his responsibility for the "brutal" crime was substantially diminished because he was suffering an acute episode of schizophrenia. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report