Knife attacker ‘heard voices’ before assault on stranger

A MAN with paranoid schizophrenia has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder by reason of insanity.

Gerard Dowling, 40, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the attempted murder of Simon Bourke at a Kilkenny shopping centre on July 13, 2016.

He also pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to assaulting Mr Bourke, 60, causing him harm, and to producing a knife during the same incident.

Opening the trial, Denis Vaughan Buckley SC told the jury that forensic psychiatrists for the prosecution and defence had assessed Mr Dowling.

They had agreed that he was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the alleged assault, and fitted the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

He told the jury they would hear from lengthy reports detailing the accused man’s mental health problems going back to 1998.

Evidence would be presented that, at the time of the assault, the accused man was not taking his medication and had begun hearing voices in his head.

Although he had never met Mr Bourke, Mr Dowling – of The Sycamores, Freshford Road, Kilkenny – believed that he was responsible for the voices.

Mr Vaughan Buckley said Mr Bourke’s partner tried to fight off his attacker, but Mr Bourke suffered knife injuries to his head. He has since made a full recovery.

Mr Buckley told the jury that if they were satisfied that Mr Dowling was insane at the time, and returned a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, then he would be committed to the Central Mental Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

Colman Cody, for the defence, admitted that his client had produced a knife at Market Cross Shopping Centre, Kilkenny City, on the date alleged, and that he used it to strike Mr Bourke, causing him harm.

The trial continues.