More children will die ... Mental Health Bill does not do enough
Dad whose 3 kids were killed by their mum urges re-think
A MAN whose children were killed by their mother fears new legislation for the treatment of mentally ill patients will not go far enough to prevent similar tragedies.
Andrew Mcginley, whose kids Conor, nine, Darragh, seven, and three-yearold Carla died at the hands of their mother, was reacting to details of the upcoming Mental Health Bill.
The children were suffocated by Deirdre Morley at their home in Newcastle, Co Dublin, in January 2000.
She was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity following a trial in 2021 and committed to the Central Mental Hospital.
Although Morley had been receiving psychiatric care before the killings, her husband maintains he wasn’t made aware of the full extent of her illness.
Mr Mcginley, 56, has since been campaigning for legislative reform to enable relatives of those who are mentally ill to be included in their treatment. He believes such guidelines could have prevented his children’s deaths had they been in place at the time.
But he insists the propose legislation is inadequate.
Mr Mcginley said: “I’ve heard all this before, and to be honest, it feels like I’m being dragged through a thornbush.
“I’m all in favour of family engagement and nominating a person to receive information on behalf of a patient, but in our case the people who were nominated were not part of the immediate family dynamic and did not fully know what was going on with Deirdre.
“She did not want me involved and therefore I wasn’t told the full extent of her illness.
“But if I’d been included all the way along, my children would be alive today.
“I have full respect for patient confidentiality, but in this case with a patient telling the clinician she did not feel safe around her children – it should have been breached. The decision not to keep me informed led to the deaths of my children and unfortunately I believe more children will die in similar circumstances because this legislation does nothing to change that.”
According to a statement issued by the Department of Health on behalf of Mental Health Minster Mary Butler, the new Bill “will include provisions to allow people accessing mental health services to consult with family members, carers or any other person nominated by them during the course of their treatment”.
It continues: “Furthermore, people will be able to nominate someone to receive information on their behalf if they so choose.
“The Bill will enshrine this right, as there are no provisions in the Mental Health Act that provide a formal role for family members or other people nominated by the person nominated by the person concerned.”
However, Mr Mcginley, who last month marked the fourth anniversary of the triple tragedy, vowed to keep up his campaign for legislative reform.
He added: “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t keep trying. Nobody seems to be listening to me, but it won’t stop me.”
Decision not to keep me informed led to the deaths of my children
ANDREW MCGINLEY YESTERDAY