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Insanity Plea in Ballyfin Hotel Killing as Trial Opens in Dublin

Psychiatric testimony, described in court as uncontested on diagnosis, sits at the heart of the case.

Overview

  • A 12-person jury has been sworn at the Central Criminal Court for a trial expected to run three days before Justice Paul McDermott.
  • Prosecutors said two consultant psychiatrists will testify that the accused was suffering from a psychiatric illness at the time, with that diagnosis not disputed.
  • In Garda interviews, Henry McGowan admitted strangling his father and said he told him he would always love him as he took his last breath.
  • A post-mortem found John McGowan died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation and compression of the mouth.
  • The court heard he had a prior bipolar diagnosis and that welfare concerns arose during travel in Paris and the UK before he reached Dublin and presented at the Mater Hospital.