Defence closes case in Philip Dunbar murder trial

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The defence closed its case in Philip Dunbar’s murder trial at the Central Criminal Court after a psychiatrist gave evidence about his intoxication and mental health. The proceedings were reported on 23 October 2020.

Dunbar pleaded not guilty to murdering Adam Muldoon at Butler Park in Jobstown Park, Tallaght, on 22 or 23 June 2018. He accepted that he carried out the stabbing but told gardaí he had no memory of it.

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright, called by the defence, said Dunbar was intoxicated at the time of the alleged offence and, had he not been intoxicated, he would not have behaved as he did. She said he did not have a mental disorder and did not qualify for a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity or for diminished responsibility through mental illness.

Dr Wright said Dunbar’s hallucinations and paranoid thoughts resulted from substance use and did not reach the threshold for psychotic illness. She said his drug and alcohol use was voluntary and he understood its consequences. He appeared to describe a partial blackout, with flashbacks of some details, she said.

After the defence closed its case, Mr Justice Paul McDermott told the jury it would hear closing speeches from the prosecution and defence on Tuesday.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.