A psychiatrist called on behalf of a man accused of murdering his wife in County Mayo has told a jury that he believes he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
James Kilroy is on trial for the murder of Valerie French-Kilroy, who was found dead in a campervan outside the couple’s home in Kilbree Lower in Westport.
On 14th June 2019, Gardaí discovered Valerie French-Kilroy’s in a campervan outside her house.
(There was evidence of ligature strangulation as well as blunt force trauma to the head… she had also been stabbed in the neck.)
Her husband, James Kilroy, has pleaded NOT guilty to her murder by reason of insanity.
Dr. Ronan Mullaney, a consultant forensic psychiatrist called on behalf of the defence, told the jury he was of the opinion that Mr. Kilroy was acutely psychotic at the time, and he said he didn’t believe it was as a result of acute intoxication.
The jury has already heard evidence of how he had been taking a potent strain of cannabis in the six months leading up to the incident, but he said he hadn’t taken it in the week beforehand - so on the balance of probabilities, Dr. Mullaney concluded that he was mentally disordered and not just acutely intoxicated.