‘Entirely possible’ Locke did mean to kill Sonia
Psychiatrist tells hotel murder trial accused is compulsive liar
THE trial of man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in a hotel was told yesterday it was “entirely possible” he murdered her after she had dumped him. Dr Sean Domhaill also described Eric Locke as a compulsive liar and agreed there was an “element of planning” in how he got himself into Sonia Blount’s hotel room without being recognised. The psychiatrist was being crossexamined by the prosecution in the trial of 35-year-old Locke, who used a fake Facebook profile to meet Ms Blount, whom he had briefly dated. He told Dublin Central Criminal Court several messages asking the 31-year-old to leave the room keycard at the Plaza’’s reception were to ensure she wouldn’t look through the peephole when he knocked on the door. Locke denies murdering Ms Blount in the Tallaght hotel on February 16, 2014. But he has admitted causing the death of the mum of one, who was found strangled and suffocated, and is pleading the defence of dimished responsibility. Dr O Domhnaill told the trial he had diagnosed Locke, of St John’s Park East in Clondalkin, West Dublin, with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and said his mental state meant he had “diminished responsibility” for the killing. He told defence lawyer Patrick Gageby he had interviewed Locke and his family in November 2015 and found the accused had signs of ADHD, autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Prosecutor Remy Farrell asked the psychiatrist about the significance of a dozen or so messages sent by the fake Facebook account asking Ms Blount to leave a keycard at reception. The lawyer said: “I suggest he was taking great care to ensure the key card was available to him so she couldn’t look through the peephole and see it was Locke.” The doctor agreed, and was asked if it showed planning. He replied: “It’s certainly an element of planning.” Mr Farrell then asked him about Locke’s expression of remorse. Dr O Domhnaill told the court: “Most people on the spectrum have very limited empathy, and their expressions of remorse are far less genuine than people not on the spectrum. “I think it was as genuine as his could be. “I think his ability to express empathy is like most people on the autism spectrum.” The trial had heard Locke brought a pellet gun, Stanley knife and cable ties to frighten Ms Blount but she screamed when she saw them and he strangled her. Mr Farrell asked the doctor about Locke’s account to him of what had happened when he entered the room. He told the court: “He said he went in, that initially she was half surprised to see him but said, ‘I half expected it would be you who’d turn up here’.” Mr Farrell informed him Locke had told gardai Ms Blount was “very surprised” to see him. Mr Farrell put it to him he had swallowed whatever Locke told him “hook line and sinker”. However, Dr O Domhnaill denied this. He said: “I’ve been around a long time, around people who are compulsive liars.” Dr O Domhnaill repeated he didn’t believe Locke had gone to the hotel to kill Ms Blount. Mr Farrell suggested the possibility he had carefully planned to falsely imprison her to tell her his problems but had panicked and “intentionally killed, ie murdered her”. The psychiatrist replied: “That’s entirely a possibility. I accept that, yeah.” The trial continues today before a jury of eight men and four women.
Most people on the spectrum have very little empathy DR SEAN O DOMHNAILL COURT YESTERDAY