Baby murder jury told to reach majority verdict

The jury in the Central Criminal Court trial of a father accused of the murder of his 20-month-old baby son has been directed to reach a majority verdict.

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 April 17, 2001 in the apartment at College Road, Clane.

The trial jury retired shortly after 2pm yesterday and deliberated for almost four hours before being sent to a hotel overnight.

But this morning, before the jury resumed its deliberations, Mr Justice Carney told it that if a unanimous verdict was not possible, it could bring in a majority verdict of at least 10 jurors.

The jury 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.