Gerard Dowling committed after insanity verdict on attempted murder

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

Gerard Dowling was committed to the Central Mental Hospital after a Central Criminal Court jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity on attempted murder charges, reported on 7 November 2017. The charge arose from a knife attack at Market Cross Shopping Centre in Kilkenny City on 13 July 2016.

Justice Paul McDermott said the hospital was the appropriate place for Dowling’s ongoing treatment and that committal was necessary for his safety and that of others. The court was told he had paranoid schizophrenia, poor insight into his illness and difficulty complying with medication.

Dowling was also charged with assault causing harm and producing a knife during the same incident. The judge committed him to the hospital until an order is made under the relevant provisions of the Criminal Law Insanity Act.