A man charged with killing three elderly sisters by setting fire to a house on Inishbofin last summer was sent for trial to the July sittings of Galway Circuit Court yesterday.
Mr Alan Murphy (25), from Newcastle, Co Down, with an address at Church Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin, was charged shortly after the incident last year with the unlawful killing of Ms Eileen Coyne (82), of Middle Quarter, Inishbofin, and with setting fire to her house, on July 6th last.
He was further charged earlier this year with the unlawful killing of her sisters, Ms Bridget McFadden and Ms Margaret Concannon, who also died in the blaze.
Mr Murphy was granted bail in the High Court last July, on his own surety of £10,000 and one independent surety of £10,000 cash, on condition that he stay at the Drumcondra address, surrender his passport and report three times a week to Whitehall Garda station.
However, he was taken into custody two months ago after the court learned he was in breach of two of those conditions. He had never stayed at the Drumcondra address and had stopped signing on at the Garda station.
Supt Tony Dowd, from Clifden, applied to the court to have the £20,000 bail money, which had been lodged by Mr Murphy's parents when he was granted bail last year, forfeited to the State because he had breached the bail conditions.
Mr Sean O'Carroll, defending, said Mr Murphy had breached the bail conditions when he was unwell.
He had stopped signing on at the Garda station on February 4th last but 10 days later he walked into Kilkenny Garda station in a very distressed state and gave himself up.
Since then Mr Murphy had been a patient at Dundrum Mental Hospital.
Judge John Garavan estreated £3,000 of the £20,000 and ordered the return of the remaining £17,000 to Mr and Mrs Murphy. He fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.