Man not guilty of murder

A man who admitted killing his neighbour with an axe was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal…

A man who admitted killing his neighbour with an axe was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.

The jury took just over 30 minutes to unanimously find Mr Cormac Guinan (57), of Ard Aobhinn, Mountbolas, Tullamore, Co Offaly, not guilty of murdering Mr Patrick Lee (74), of the same address, on April 29th, 1997. Mr Guinan had denied the charge.

Mr Justice Patrick Smith ordered that Mr Guinan be held at the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, or some such appropriate place until the pleasure of the Government was known.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter