Dragos Nica murder trial hears he considered killing children

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

Dragos Nica, 30, of Mourne Park, Skerries, Co Dublin, was on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of Michael Gannon, 55, at Mourne Park on 14 November 2013. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The proceedings were reported on 3 February 2016.

On 2 February 2016, consultant psychiatrist Francis John Kelly told Jonathan Kilfeather, defending, that Nica had struck Gannon in the chest with a knife. Kilfeather confirmed that Nica believed Gannon’s daughter had deliberately poisoned him, was certain he was going to die and had first thought of killing her nine-year-old boy and five-year-old girl.

Kelly said he believed Nica could not control himself at the time of the offence because of his state of mind. He confirmed that Nica had chronic paranoid schizophrenia characterised by delusions and false beliefs.

Under cross-examination by Patrick Treacy, prosecuting, Kelly confirmed that Nica had developed an emotional attachment to Gannon’s daughter and had had numerous sexual encounters with her. The court heard she did not consider them to be in a relationship, but that Nica’s psychosis was the main factor responsible, rather than his specific focus on the relationship.

The trial was continuing.