Man, 21, threatened to stab mother and bury her, Cork court hears
A 21-year-old man who threatened to stick a knife in his mother’s neck and bury her in the graveyard was released from prison to return home today following evidence that he was now “settled and not psychotic.”
A psychiatrist saw the young man during a voluntary four-week remand in custody to Cork Prison and a report was available for Judge Olann Kelleher at Cork District Court today.
The young man indicated that he would now be willing to go to in-house treatment for his drug problems.
“I want to get my life back on track and build my relationship with my parents,” he said at an in camera sitting of Cork District Court, where the identities of the parties cannot be published because the charges relate to breaches of domestic violence legislation.
The probation officer dealing the accused over the past number of months said that after a phone conference call with the young man in prison last week it appeared that his insight into his behaviour was good now.
The young man’s mother testified today that she and her husband were happy for their son to return home while waiting for a place in residential treatment.
Judge Kelleher adjourned the case until July 7 and said that the interests of the defendant had to be balanced with those of society.
Judge Kelleher previously termed this an urgent case.
Mr Buttimer said it was one of the most unusual cases he had encountered, not least in terms of the honesty of the accused.
The defendant admitted after a previous adjournment that as soon as he was released he took four different drugs and returned to his parents’ home. He said the floor of the Bridewell garda station was spinning around by the time he was arrested and questioned.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a protection order, including the occasion where he made the threat to stab his mother and put her in the graveyard. He also threatened to smash the windows of the house.
Judge Kelleher noted that on a previous court appearance the defendant had been “quite deranged". Frank Buttimer solicitor said the 21-year-old had been taking drugs for four years, including cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and some other type of hallucinogenic drug. Mr Buttimer said the 21-year-old had a severe psychotic episode as a result of which he had to be admitted to a psychiatric unit.
He was charged with breaching a protection order by putting his mother in fear at the family home.
