Man Believes Entering Guilty Plea Means He's Not Guilty, Court Hears

A man is being assessed over whether he's fit to stand trial after believing that a guilty plea means he's not guilty.

On 25 July, 2020, 77-year-old pensioner Peter McDonald was murdered in the Whitechapel Road area of Clonsilla, Dublin.

His neighbour, Patrick McDonagh, was accused of his murder.

However, the Central Criminal court is assessing whether or not the 49-year-old is fit to stand trial after a consultant psychiatrist revealed that McDonagh believed that he was denying the charge and pleading 'not guilty' by pleading 'guilty'.

The 49-year-old is also reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Defence witness Professor Patricia Casey interviewed McDonagh and deemed him unfit for trial after interviewing him for a total of six hours across seven meetings, The Irish Times reports.

She reflected on the suspect as being 'paranoid,' 'constantly' blessing himself and 'constantly looking at the door because of prison officers on the other side'.

Prof Casey stated that McDonagh said he would plead 'guilty' giving the explanation that he 'did not do it,' and that despite her attempts to make the suspect understand the contradictory nature of his statement, that he continuously failed to do so.

The defence witness resolved that McDonagh was not only 'acutely ill' but also has a learning disability. She reiterated it had been 'impossible' to make the suspect understand what the term 'guilty' means.

"If he pleaded not guilty he would have admitted committing a crime, which he rejects," she stated.

Despite how forensic psychologist Dr Kevin Lambe found 'no symptoms' of psychiatric illness in McDonagh, Prof Casey resolved the suspect had 'absolutely' been battling schizophrenia as far back as 2014.

The defence witness also noted McDonagh's 'alcohol brain damage,' abuse of drugs at the age of 15 and unstable upbringing as contributing factors to his mental state and his IQ falling in the bottom two per cent of his peers - which she argued should have been factored into Dr Lambe's assessment.

Prof Casey concluded: "[McDonagh] is timid, diffident man, who certainly did not understand all my questions

"In my opinion he is unfit to be tried. He is also unable to enter a plea since he believes a guilty plea means innocent and vice versa."

However, McDonagh was deemed fit to stand trial by State witness and consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Central Medical Hospital, Dr Mary Davoren.

Dr Davoren resolved that McDonagh was faking a mental health condition and giving deliberately 'approximate' answers, such as when McDonagh stated the date was 9 June, 2021, when it was actually 10 May, 2021, which Dr Davoren argued was 'not a randomly chosen one but is one just shy of the correct answer'.

McDonagh's claims of hearing voices in his head and having visual and aural 'dual-modality' hallucinations also did not fit with a typical schizophrenia diagnosis.

The suspect was also noted as exhibiting 'goal-orientated' thinking after his medical files claimed he had previously tampered with his prescriptions despite alleging he couldn't read or write.

McDonagh's defence team has argued that he is unfit under section 4 of the Criminal Law Insanity Act.

However, due to not meeting the requirements of the Mental Health Act, McDonagh has been removed from the Central Mental Hospital's waiting list.

The matter was adjourned by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor and it is hoped a resolution will occur on 26 April.

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