A FORMER policeman whose rampage with a bus caused the death of a 62-year-old woman was a paranoid schizophrenic who believed he was being pursued by several police forces and intelligence services, his trial has heard.
Peter Clarke, a former City of London police constable, had been diagnosed years before the bus incident both here and in the US as psychotic and he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time, Dr Henry Kennedy, clinical director of the Central Mental Hospital, said on day three of his trial.
“He knew what he was doing but he didn’t have the mental capacity to understand the consequences of his actions,” Dr Kennedy said at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Dr Kennedy said that although he believed Clarke was fit to plead and stand trial, he continued to hold false delusions about gardaí and police forces as well as intelligence services such as MI5 in several jurisdictions and about his fellow-workers.
He held “paradoxical beliefs” about being a member of the IRA and the police. “He said he wanted to be killed and also wanted to kill all his perceived persecutors in the services and among his fellow-workers.” Dr Kennedy said that as a result of his “persuasive delusions” Mr Clarke “was unable to refrain” from his actions on the day of the rampage.
Clarke (38), Kiltalown Court, Tallaght, is on trial on charges arising out of what the prosecution has described as “an odyssey of destruction” resulting in Máire Buckley’s death on May 7th, 2006.
Angela Buckley told prosecuting counsel Pauline Walley SC she had been travelling with her mother to a meal to celebrate a First Holy Communion and was applying make-up and chatting when she saw a man run towards the traffic at Bluebell screaming at people to get out of their cars.
Ms Buckley said her mother pushed her free of their Nissan Micra car before the collision but could not get out of her own door because the car was beside the Luas stop railing. Ms Buckley said her mother was “half in, half out” of the driver’s door when the bus struck.
Ms Buckley said that when she was free of the car the bus was initially coming for her, but it changed direction slightly and hit the car. “By the time I got out and began running, the bus was gone.”
Det Sgt Seán Hogan told Ms Walley that Clarke struck him on the head with an axe when violently resisting arrest after the bus crashed on to an embankment at Dualway’s depot in Rathcoole. “I’ve never dealt with anyone as strong or as violent in my service in the Garda Síochána,” he said.
Det Sgt Hogan said he chased Clarke to the Dualway depot after his rampage through west Dublin and lured him towards the yard embankment to prevent him from escaping back on to the road.
Det Sgt Hogan said Clarke drove at him and he jumped out of the way before the bus’s nose crashed into the embankment. “I stood my ground as long as possible, that was my get-out clause.” He said he rushed on to the coach before Clarke could put it in reverse and saw him halfway down the bus. Clarke swung and struck him on the head with an axe.
Det Sgt Hogan said several gardaí struggled to restrain Clarke and they had to prise his fingers from the dagger he was holding. Clarke bit him twice on the hand during the struggle and he had to hit him “forcefully” with a baton.