Baby murder trial jury sent to hotel

A jury was sent to a hotel overnight in the trial of a father accused of the murder of his 20-month-old baby son.

In the Central Criminal Court, Mr Yusif Ali Abdi (aged 30), a refugee from Somalia, with an address at The Elms, College Road, Clane, Co. Kildare, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of the murder of his son, Nathan Baraka Andrew Ali on 17 April 2001 in the apartment at College Road, Clane.

The trial jury retired shortly after 2pm today. It must decide whether Yusif Ali Abdi is guilty of murder or if he was legally insane at the time he killed his son.

Two consultant psychiatrists called by the defence have told the trial they believe Yusif Ali Abdi was schizophrenic at the time of the killing and that his reason was impaired by a disease of the mind.

But a consultant psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, Dr Damien Mohan, has disputed their diagnosis and said that in his opinion, Mr Ali Abdi was legally sane.

The jury returns to the Central Criminal Court tomorrow to consider its deliberations. Trial judge Mr Justice Carney today directed it to reach a unanimous verdict.

He said a finding of manslaughter was only "a theoretical possibility", and that the jury essentially must decide between a verdict of murder and a verdict of guilty but insane.