Man who knocked friend under bus has ‘primitive personality’

A homeless deaf mute man who killed an acquaintance by knocking him under a bus has a “primitive personality” as a result of his communication difficulties, a court has heard.

A Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury previously found Edward Connors (30) guilty following an eight day manslaughter trial. He also admitted injuring, threatening or intimating two people with a syringe in separate incidents.

Eoghan Dudley (28) died almost instantly from “catastrophic and traumatic injuries” after going under the left rear wheel of the bus on Dawson Street during rush hour traffic.

Judge Patrick McCartan had adjourned the case to Tuesday after asking that Connors be assessed for rehabilitation services in the UK.

The court had heard previously there are no specific rehabilitation services for deaf people in Ireland but that there are extensive treatment and rehabilitation facilities available for deaf offenders in the UK.

Connors, of no fixed abode and formerly of Bearna Park, Sandyford, admitted interacting with the deceased but claimed that what looked like a punch on CCTV footage is actually him trying to grab Mr Dudley to stop him falling off the path and going under the bus.

He had pleaded not guilty to unlawfully killing Mr Dudley on December 6th 2012. Connors also pleaded guilty to two counts of using a syringe to cause injury or threaten to cause injury at Balally Shopping Centre, Sandyford on May 17th 2012 and at Lotts Lane on August 18th 2012.

Dr Brendan Thomas Monteiro, consultant psychiatrist in the field of mental health and deafness, said Connors exhibited features of a primitive personality caused by his hearing problems.

He said this is a psychiatric diagnosis which identifies deaf people who were effectively without any usable language, as a result of which they become quite primitive in their behaviour.

Because of serious communication difficulties between them and parents, teachers or peers this group of people do not acquire the same skills taken for granted in hearing children and develop without any social, moral or legal boundaries, he said.

“His knowledge and understanding and ability to relate to others was seriously compromised” because of the deprivation of language, Dr Monteiro said.

He agreed with Ronan Kennedy, prosecuting, that since the trial Connors has said that he does not accept the guilty verdict, is not responsible for the death of the victim and is unfairly in prison.

Judge McCartan ordered that Connors be further assessed by Dr Monteiro and that the State make inquiries about funding his treatment in the UK.