Clare murder trial hears accused faked his own death

The 54-year-old man who hacked-to-death a taxi driver in Clare faked his own kidnapping in the US to extort money from his uncle, a jury in the Central Criminal Court was told today.

This emerged during evidence from defence psychiatrist, Dr Eugene Morgan, who said that Anthony Kelly (aged 54) was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the killing.

Dr Morgan told the court that Mr Kelly had been convicted of fraud in the US in 1994 after faking his own kidnapping and sentenced to 20 months in prison in New York.

While in prison, he got treatment for his cocaine addiction and he was later deported back to Ireland.

Mr Kelly, a native of Ruan, Co Clare with and address at Emlagh na Muck, Emlagh More, Waterville, Co Kerry has pleaded not guilty to murdering father-of-four Liam Moloney (aged 56) in Ruan, Co Clare, on February 11, 2005.

The defence has admitted the killing but say the accused was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.

Mr Kelly has admitted to six other charges including robbing items belonging to the deceased, setting fire to his car and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Dr Morgan told defence counsel, Mr Brendan Grehan SC, that although Mr Kelly demonstrated ‘a cunning’ in the way he tried to destroy evidence, he still believed he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.

He said Mr Kelly was ‘acutely psychotic’ when he first visited him in prison and that he believed the accused’s claims that he had been hearing voices commanding him to carry out the killing.

He said this was in keeping with his diagnosis of a ‘psychotic phenomenon’ called, ‘alcoholic hallucinosis,’ which arises when people whose brains are particularly susceptible to poisons, abuse alcohol for prolonged periods.

And he said this psychosis could happen even though the accused hadn’t been drinking in the days before the killing.

He said Mr Kelly’s feelings towards the victim were brought about by delusions that the victim had been making racist remarks.

Under cross-examination by prosecuting counsel, Mr Tom O’Connell SC, Dr Morgan said he was not aware other witnesses gave evidence that the victim had never made racist remarks.

“The victim became part of a delusional system in Mr Kelly’s brain, and unfortunately, he acted upon it,” he insisted.

Asked why Mr Kelly would have stolen money from the victim’s flat if such delusional ‘high-mindedness’ was his real motive, Dr Morgan replied: “I can’t understand that.”

However, he suggested the possibility of Mr Kelly being ‘so disturbed’ that he ‘obviously didn’t want to conceal what he had done.’

He agreed with Mr O’Connell that the accused was ‘pretty cunning’ insofar as he lured the victim up to the gatehouse outside Ruan on the pretext they were going to meet his pretend girlfriend.

And he admitted he never considered Mr Kelly was motivated by the desire to enrich himself. “I haven’t thought about that until now,” he said.

However, he rejected any suggestion the accused had been deceiving him.

“It would be very unusual for someone without medical knowledge to know the symptoms unless they were suffering from them,” he explained.

Asked whether he wished to reconsider his diagnosis in light of Mr Kelly having destroyed evidence, he replied: “No, I was already aware of his deceptive nature.”

The case before Mr Justice Paul Carney and a jury of five men and seven women continues tomorrow.