Man who killed girlfriend found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity

A man who killed his girlfriend in Sligo while having delusions they were in an alternative reality has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital.

Earlier this month, Oisín Conroy, from Boyle in Co Roscommon, was found not guilty of murdering Natalie McGuinness by reason of insanity.

Oisín Conroy strangled his girlfriend Natalie at his flat on the Mail Coach Road in Sligo in Oct 2015 because he thought it would free her from 'The Matrix' - an alternative reality he believed them to be in.

The court heard he had a history of mental illness and had stopped taking his medication.

Earlier this month, a jury returned a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity after hearing he suffered from chronic paranoid schizophrenia and was delusional at the time of the killing.

In her victim impact statement, Natalie’s mother Catherine said she and her husband John feel emotionally battered and bruised by what happened.

She said they can never forget what was inflicted upon their beautiful daughter before her young sweet life came to an end.

Natalie McGuinness

She described her as bubbly and vibrant and said she loved life.

On the medical evidence presented to him today, Mr Justice Tony Hunt committed Oisín Conroy to the Central Mental Hospital for further treatment.