Man killed mother despite custody order

A man who stabbed his mother to death at her Mayo home in 2011 while he was high on drugs had walked out of a Castlebar courtroom three weeks earlier, despite an order to keep him in custody.

Internal garda disciplinary hearings have taken place into the handling of a warrant against Celyn Eadon, 22, and the issue is being examined by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.

A report on how the courts service handled the warrant was published by the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald yesterday and concluded that the court followed proper procedure.

The report by inspector of prisons, Judge Michael Reilly, did not examine the role of gardaí, who he said confirmed to him that they had received the warrant.

Arising from the failure to execute it, disciplinary proceedings were initiated by then Garda commissioner Martin Callinan against a number of officers.

Because of this, Judge Reilly said he was legally precluded from investigating the conduct of the gardaí involved.

Eadon was sentenced to life in prison last February for the murder of his mother, Noreen Kelly, 46, on March 9, 2011. He stabbed her 19 times at their home at Derrycrieve, Islandeady, in Castlebar.

The court heard she had taken drugs from his bedroom and burned them on the evening before she died, and this may have been a trigger for the attack.

On Jan 19, 2011, he failed to turn up to court for summonses relating to seven different road traffic offences, and warrants were issued for his arrest.

He was brought before Castlebar District Court on February 2 and appeared before Harristown District Court two days later with consent to bail on a number of terms, including that he would reside with his mother, stay off drink and drugs, and obey a strict curfew.

He was remanded in custody to Castlerea Prison when he was unable to take up bail. He was in Castlebar District Court again on February 16 where he was further charged with theft.

He was remanded in custody to appear again in March 10 but, despite this order, walked out of court. He remained free until he killed his mother three weeks later.

Eadon was just two months into his prison term when, in April, he threw boiling water over a prison guard at Mountjoy.