Unsupervised trips for man who tried to kill former US president

THE man who tried to kill Ronald Reagan won permission for un-monitored daytrips with visits to with his parents, a decision criticised by the former president’s family.

US District Judge Paul L Friedman said John Hinckley Jr may have six daytrips with his parents in the Washington area without staff from the mental hospital where he has spent more than two decades. Each trip may last 12 hours. If they go well, he and his parents may be allowed two 32-hour overnight visits within 50 miles of the capital.

However, he included a number of strict conditions and rejected Hinckley’s request to travel to his parents’ home in Williamsburg, Virginia, about three hours south of Washington. He said a detailed schedule must be submitted to him two weeks before each trip.

While government lawyers fought Hinckley’s request, US Attorney Roscoe C Howard Jr took some solace in that Mr Friedman rejected any visits outside the Washington area. Hinckley, aged 48, has lived at St Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington since 1982, when he was acquitted by reason of insanity in the shootings of Mr Reagan, presidential press secretary James Brady and two law enforcement officers. Mr Reagan nearly died and Mr Brady was permanently disabled. Hinckley said he did it to impress actress Jodie Foster.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan said she and her family were disappointed by the ruling. “Our thoughts are with all of Mr Hinckley’s victims today, especially Jim Brady and his family, as they must continue to live with the tragic consequences of the assassination attempt.”

Hinckley has been allowed about 200 supervised local trips off the hospital grounds for several years Hospital officials have said there have been no problems with Hinckley on these supervised trips. The Secret Service watches him whenever he leaves.

During five days of hearings , psychiatrists testifying for Hinckley, the government and the hospital all said his mental health had improved to the point where he would not be a threat to himself or others if he were to leave the hospital for visits with his parents.

Hinckley’s lawyer, Barry W Levine, said his client was entitled to receive unsupervised visits, and the judge’s conditions should alleviate safety concerns.

Daniel Dodson, of the National Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers, said such visits were not unusual for people found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity as their mental health improved.

“The whole purpose of putting them in an institution is to make them better,” Mr Dodson said. “If this case was not such a high profile case, this would not be an action that anyone would be taking a look at.”