Court releases man on bail as Central Mental Hospital is full

A COURT has released a mentally unwell man on bail after hearing evidence that there is no place for him in the Central Mental Hospital.

The court heard the man, who is suffering from schizophrenia, is not taking his medicine and his condition has worsened. He has made threats against prison staff and members of the public.

The 35-year-old man, with an address in Co. Westmeath, appeared before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday on a charge of unlawful possession of knives.

His lawyers said the man is languishing in prison while waiting on a bed in the Central Mental Hospital. Dr Conor O’Neill, consultant psychiatrist at the CMH, told the court the man has schizophrenia and is unfit to enter a plea in a criminal trial.

He advised the man be remanded in the CMH for an extended period.

Donal McGuinness BL for the HSE, told the court that there is currently no bed in the hospital. He said the CMH operates at maximum capacity at all times.

He added that the defendant is on a waiting list for the CMH, but ‘there is already a waiting list’. He said there is no sign of a bed becoming available in the immediate future.

Dr O’Neill said: ‘My understanding was there was a possibility of ten new beds being open, that has not transpired.’

John Moher BL, defending, said he was objecting to his client being remanded for any more time in Cloverhill Prison.

‘This has been going on since August. He is languishing and deteriorating in Cloverhill,’ counsel said.

Judge Martin Nolan said that the accused man had been deemed unfit to plead and the State could not keep him in custody. He said the man had difficult problems and they were difficult for society too, but the man had an overriding right to liberty.

He released the accused on bail on condition he enter a bond and reside at a given address.