‘Delusions’ led to knife attack on publican

A man who stabbed a popular publican in his home was found not guilty of assault causing harm and aggravated burglary by reason of insanity at Kilkenny Circuit Court.

Karol Keane, Kilmanagh, was remanded to the Central Mental Hospital where he will be assessed by a psychiatrist and is due to appear at Kilkenny Circuit Court on May 13.

In her summing up to the jury, Judge Alice Doyle outlined how Keane had broken a rear door of Brennans public house, Kilmanagh, in the early hours of July 13, 2013, and entered the premises. He proceeded to an upstairs bedroom where he stabbed Joe Brennan a number of times in the chest and abdomen before leaving the scene. Mr Brennan’s young children were in the house at the time.

He then left and placed the knife in the ground of a nearby woods and returned home to his father’s house where he was arrested a short time later.

In the weeks leading up to the attack the accused had been living with his father, Johnny Keane, in Kilmanagh.

The accused told gardaí that on the night of the attack he had walked the dog at 3am, and at 4am he entered Mr Brennan’s premises using a sledgehammer to force open the rear door.

The court heard the defendant had delusional beliefs at the time of the attack. He told gardaí he saw “melting trees” and referred to “poltergeists” and a “light shining through the trees”.

Keane who, according to medical evidence, was suffering from delusions “before, during and after” the attack, said that he decided not to stab Mr Brennan in the heart to “give him a chance to repent”.

Dr Conor O’Neill, a psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, said at the time of the attack Keane had a delusional belief which was “a fixed thought belief that is not amenable to rationality”.

“I believe that he was severely mentally ill and that he acted as a result of his illness,” said Mr O’Neill. “From the information given to me this patient meets the criteria to be allowed the defence of insanity.”

The psychiatrist said that at the time of the attack the accused had a false belief and thought he was doing “a morally right act”.

Keane had previously been admitted on five occasions to the Department of Psychiatry at St Luke’s Hospital. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2004.

The court heard how in 2013 the accused had stabbed himself in the hand and was admitted to hospital on an involuntary basis.

After his arrest, Keane admitted that he had stabbed Mr Brennan multiple times and subsequently brought gardaí to the location where he had placed the knife.

The court heard 36-year-old Keane had a history of illegal drug use, but claimed he had stopped taking illegal substances in December

Judge Alice Doyle remanded the accused to the Central Mental Hospital where he will be medically assessed and adjourned the case to May 13.