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Dublin man found not guilty of threatening garda by reason of insanity

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court case, 56‑year‑old Colm Lawless was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he pointed a realistic imitation gun at Garda Gary Farrell and his partner. Lawless, suffering from bipolar disorder and in a manic phase, had stopped his medication and was experiencing severe delusions, believing he was the head of a "Jerusalem secret service" and on a mission from God. He threatened to shoot himself if the gardaí did not return his keys. The jury, instructed by Judge Sarah Berkeley, returned a special verdict after 46 minutes. Lawless will be sent to the Central Mental Hospital for a 14‑day assessment, with a doctor to report a treatment plan on February 22. The incident involved two pepper‑sprays that had no effect, and Lawless was later arrested and taken to hospital. He later admitted to buying the gun as a curiosity item and apologized to the officers.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Dublin man found not guilty of threatening garda by reason of insanity. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Not guilty by reason of insanity

When:

• February 22 Incident
• 2016-02-11 Publication

Why: He had stopped taking his medication at the time against the advice of doctors because it was giving him panic attacks. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Finding

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Read the original CNI report