Court hears parents of teenager who stabbed mother's partner to death took him to hospital just weeks before

The parents of a man, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering his mother's partner by reason of insanity, took him to hospital just weeks earlier after he told them he had to kill the deceased.

The then 19-year-old was diagnosed with drug-induced psychosis and sent home, advised to seek treatment for his drug misuse. He took that advice but stabbed his stepfather to death a couple of weeks later.

That diagnosis has since been excluded and the accused, who turned 21 this week, has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, something for which he had a genetic vulnerability.

The evidence was heard today in the trial of the Dubliner, charged with murdering the father-of-one. Adam Nolan, with an address at Burgh an Ri Walk, Balgaddy, Lucan, Co Dublin is charged with murdering Bryan Cassidy (52) on February 7, 2018 at the same address.

Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, opened the case at the Central Criminal Court, where Mr Nolan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

He told the jury that Mr Cassidy was in a relationships with Mr Nolan’s mother at the time of his death. The two men got on so well that Mr Nolan used to refer to the deceased as his stepdad. This was despite Mr Nolan maintaining a relationship with his father from whom his mother had amicably separated.

He explained that both men were in the Nolan family home on the evening in question, while the accused man’s mother was babysitting elsewhere.

A neighbour noticed the deceased standing in a garden on the street around 10 o’clock that night, with the accused standing in his own doorway. It became apparent that there had been some sort of dispute and that the deceased was bleeding heavily from stab wounds.

Neighbours went to his aid, as did Mr Nolan’s mother, who was being dropped home around that time. Paramedics arrived but he couldn’t be saved.

Mr Nolan was observed in the vicinity for a time but left the scene and went to the home of a friend. He remained outside in the front garden, was covered in blood and was observed behaving erratically.

He was hard to understand but seemed to refer to voices giving him two options: one to kill the deceased and the other to become the first gay UFC champion. He appeared to make some references to ‘stabbing Bryan’.

He was collected by family members, who took him to the garda station. He admitted that he’d stabbed Mr Cassidy and was charged with murder.

A post-mortem exam showed the cause of death to be a stab wound to the abdomen, but he had received six separate stab wounds, including one through his eye.

Mr Gillane said that there were some very sad aspects to the case, including that ‘Mr Cassidy was a very, very nice man’, got on well with people and was ‘much loved by his family’; he was one of five siblings and had a daughter.

“It’s not part of the case that he ever did or said anything to provoke violence,” he explained.

Mr Nolan had no history of violence and had a circle of friends and a job. However, in the period leading up to the stabbing, he had developed a number of fixations. Some of his friends described him behaving oddly.

He said that Mr Nolan’s parents had brought him to A&E for a psychiatric assessment. He had been unwell and saying that he ‘had to kill Bryan’, and had been sent home with a diagnosis of drug-induced psychosis.

Mr Gillane explained that Mr Nolan went into custody after charge, was examined and transferred to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), where he remains and is being treated.

“The case comes down to the state of mind of Mr Nolan at the time,” he added.

Consultant forensic psychiatrist at the CMH Dr Dearbhla Duffy testified on behalf of the prosecution.

She told Mr Gillane that she interviewed Mr Nolan and examined his medical records.

“He has a strong, genetic predisposition for major mental illness,” she said.

She noted that his illicit drug use predated the onset of his schizophrenia; he had begun using cannabis at the age of 15 and the court heard that he had also used cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine.

She also explained that individuals with early-onset use of cannabis were four times more likely to develop schizophrenia.

However, she said that his diagnoses of drug-induced psychosis was made when the picture was not clear. She explained that his symptoms had continued despite being in a drug-free environment since.

“His use of substances were a trigger for the onset of schizophrenia, but he was also vulnerable to developing it,” she said.

Under cross examination by Brendan Grehan SC, defending, she confirmed that using drugs did not cause schizophrenia.

“It may or may not accelerate the onset. It’s not a cause,” she said, explaining that Mr Nolan was ‘genetically vulnerable’ to developing the disease.

She concluded that schizophrenia met the criteria for a mental disorder under the relevant legislation.

“There’s no doubt that he was responding to delusional beliefs,” she said of the time of the stabbing.

“He did not understand that what he was doing was wrong,” she continued. “It was his firm fixed belief that his life was in danger and he felt he had no choice, and that what he was doing was not wrong. In my opinion, due to the intensity and nature of his delusions, he was unable to refrain.”

She said that it was therefore her opinion that he met the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The trial continues before Ms Justice Eileen Creedon and a jury of six men and six women.