‘Violent’ man must remain in hospital

A man who is not mentally ill but whose behaviour is “violent and challenging” must remain inappropriately detained in a ward of chronically mentally ill patients because there is no suitable place here to address his needs, the president of the High Court has said.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly said there is no appropriate public or private facility here to treat the man, who is a ward of court, despite the “extraordinary” fact he has some €750,000 funds in court which could go toward the costs of his treatment.

Pending the outcome of an application for his placement in a specialised UK unit, the judge said he had no option but to order the hospital, which says the man’s behaviour is destabilising other patients and only reluctantly took him on foot of a court order, to continue to detain the man.