No prison time for Limerick woman who was trying to ‘kill family’
A WOMAN who felt her family was under threat from the IRA and a paedophile ring while in the “throes of a very serious psychotic breakdown” thought the only way to deal with matters was “to kill herself and her family,” Limerick Circuit Court heard.
The accused, who has a history of mental health difficulties, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm last March. She was before Judge Tom O’Donnell for sentencing this Monday.
Judge O’Donnell, in summarising the evidence given by Detective Sergeant Michael Reidy, said the woman took off at speed in a car. It occurred on a date in 2021 in a location in Limerick. The victim, a female, was in the passenger seat, and a child was in the back seat.
“She clipped a footpath, crashed through a cement wall of a house, colliding with an outhouse. Unfortunately the victim did not have time to put her seatbelt on and suffered extremely serious life changing injuries. So badly injured was the victim that she could not get out of the vehicle.
“The accused did manage to get out despite her own injuries and was seen running up and down the road in an extremely distressed and agitated state and quite clearly in the throes of a very serious mental breakdown,” said Judge O’Donnell.
Prior to the road traffic collision the woman had been “displaying signs of erratic behaviour” and had stopped taking medication for her bipolar disorder with manic / psychotic features.
After the incident, Judge O’Donnell said she was a voluntary and then involuntary patient at Unit 5B in University Hospital Limerick for a lengthy period of time where she “presented as acutely manic exhibiting paranoid delusions”.
“At the time she said she felt her family was under threat from the IRA and a paedophile ring. Such was her paranoia she thought the only way to deal with matters was to kill herself and her family,” said Judge O’Donnell, who added that the accused’s position has now stabilised due to injections she receives every three months.
The victim sustained “serious life-changing injuries” and the “long-term prognosis remains extremely guarded”.
“A lengthy victim impact statement reflects the physical, psychological, emotional and financial trauma as a result of this accident,” said Judge O’Donnell, who added there has been a “major split” in the family and he hoped a conviction may “help people to move on if that’s possible”.
The judge said cases of this nature are “notoriously difficult to decide”. The aggravating factors were the life-changing injuries, the accused’s decision to stop taking her medication and high level of culpability.
The mitigating factors were the plea of guilty which spared the family the rigours of a trial, her mental state and medical history, lack of previous convictions, genuine remorse and impact on her family.
Judge O’Donnell said the case has had “tragic consequences for the victim and family”.
In imposing a three year sentence which he suspended in full, the judge said the imposition of an immediate custodial sentence would be “disproportionate in light of the medical evidence”.
The judge had earlier said the accused was “in the throes of a very serious psychotic breakdown” at the time.
The defendant was also banned from driving for seven years. Her license had already been revoked following a garda application in the district court.