Sentencing for mother's killing adjourned more than 20 times
The sentencing of a man with paranoid schizophrenia who strangled his mother to death in a row over a cigarette has now been adjourned more than 20 times at the Central Criminal Court.
The case was listed for sentence today in Dublin, but was re-listed to be dealt with in Ennis on January 24 next year.
Mr Justice Paul Carney consented to an application by Ms Isobel Kennedy SC for the release of Damien Donnan of De Valera Park in Limerick into the care of his family over Christmas, to be extended by a day to Monday December 26.
Similar arrangements were put in place last year and he is due to for release this Friday.
Ms Kennedy said the release into the care of his father was going "reasonably well" and requested that a probation and welfare report be updated ahead of the next hearing.
Mr Justice Carney had previously criticised the Government and medical authorities for refusing to co-operate in the case.
He said the Government had failed to update existing insanity laws, which are 150 years old, and said it was "grotesque" that the case had to be defended on the grounds of provocation.
Damien Donnan was convicted by a jury of the manslaughter of his mother at the family home on April 17, 2000. The case was first adjourned for sentence in February 2002.
Following the conviction the Donnan family called for mental health laws to be updated. They do not hold Donnan responsible for his mother’s death.
