Man who strangled mother given suspended sentence
A Limerick man who strangled his mother does not bear any moral culpability for his actions as he was under the influence of mental illness, the sentencing judge said today.
Damien Donnan, 25, was convicted of the manslaughter of Jennifer Donnan at the family home in 3 DeValera Park, Thomand Gate, Limerick, on April 17, 2000.
Allowing for remission, Donnan has effectively served an eight-year sentence because of the amount of time he has been in custody since the killing of his mother.
Mr Justice Paul Carney imposed a life sentence backdated to the time of Damien Donnan’s arrest and he suspended the balance of the sentence, to take effect from tomorrow.
A condition of the suspension of the sentence is that the defendant must comply with all lawful instructions in relation to his medical treatment.
Mr Justice Carney said at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Cork, that this crime was committed while the defendant was clearly under the influence of mental illness.
“I do not want to impose any further punishment. I do want to protect Damien Donnan from himself and also protect the community as best I can," he said.
“He does not bear any moral culpability, his family have always been caring for him,” the judge said.
Consultant psychiatrist at Limerick Regional Hospital, Dr Patrick Doyle, noted that prior to the manslaughter, the defendant had been subjected to a lot of verbal and physical abuse from his mother who had a definite alcohol problem.
