Woman ‘not responsible’ for actions in assault

A consultant psychiatrist told a court yesterday that a woman was not responsible for her actions when she assaulted a Filipino nurse in a hospital carpark.

At Ennis District Court yesterday, Siobhan Downes, aged 35, of Childers Rd, Ennis, pleaded not guilty to a lunchtime assault of Maria Soledad Lubo on November 29 last in the carpark of Ennis General Hospital.

Yesterday’s court appearance by Ms Downes was the latest concerning her failure to deal with the breakdown of a relationship with an ex-boyfriend that has also resulted in a number of admissions to the acute psychiatric unit in Ennis.

Earlier this year, Ms Downes received a one-year suspended jail term after a judge said the infatuated woman victimised her former lover and three generations of his family after their relationship broke down. Ms Downes is appealing against the suspended sentence imposed by Judge Patrick Durcan.

Yesterday, Ms Lubo, a nurse, said Ms Downes was “very violent” during the carpark assault. She said that “what made me so frightened was when she [Ms Downes] was trying to strangle me with my scarf on the ground”.

Ms Lubo said Ms Downes — a former care assistant at the hospital — appeared to be mentally ill at the time.

Ms Downes’s consultant psychiatrist, Dr Ahmed, said Ms Downes was not responsible for her actions at the time of the assault.

Dr Ahmed told the court Ms Downes would have been ‘non compos mentis’, or not of sound mind, during the assault.

A psychiatric report by Dr Ahmed, read out by solicitor Daragh Hassett, said Ms Downes suffers from a manic depressive disorder and was going through a manic episode at the time of the assault.

Mr Hassett said Ms Downes was readmitted to the acute psychiatric unit after the assault and remained there for a month. The report states that Ms Downes has continued to attend the outpatient clinic and her condition is stable.

Judge Durcan said: “I don’t want to see Ms Downes criminalised in respect of this incident.”

He said he would dismiss the charge and bind Ms Downes to the peace for one year. Mr Hassett said the binding would negatively affect Ms Downes’s hopes of getting work.

In response, Judge Durcan said he would adjourn the case for 12 months and if Ms Downes remains of good behaviour, he would dismiss the case next September.