Jury rejects insanity defence and finds Kerry man guilty of murdering his mother

Jury accepted prosecution's case the cause of 55-year-old Billy Burns killing his mother Miriam Burns was not mental illness but his 'long-term abuse of drugs and alcohol', and anger towards his mother

The body of Miriam Burns was discovered at her home in Killarney.

A jury has unanimously convicted a Kerry man of murdering his 75-year-old mother, rejecting his claim he should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, having strangled her to death at her home three years ago while suffering a manic episode related to bipolar disorder.

The jury accepted the prosecution's case that the cause of 55-year-old Billy Burns killing his mother Miriam Burns was not mental illness but his "long-term abuse of drugs and alcohol", and anger towards his mother. The trial heard Burns had been aggressive and violent towards his mother since he was a teenager, and on one occasion broke his mother's jaw.