Manslaughter accused gets legal aid after losing job

A MAN accused of killing his mother in an Irish nursing home has lost his job in Austria because of bail conditions which forced…

A MAN accused of killing his mother in an Irish nursing home has lost his job in Austria because of bail conditions which forced him to surrender his passport, a court heard yesterday.

Gerard Vollrath (45) is accused of the manslaughter of his mother at the Killure Bridge Nursing Home between Waterford and Tramore on January 9th.

His mother, Veronica (Vera) Vollrath (83), had been living there since 2010. Her health had been in decline during the weeks before her death.

Mr Vollrath worked as an aeronautics engineer in Austria until he was arrested at Dublin airport on January 9th. He first appeared in court at a special sitting on the night of January 10th when he was granted bail after a surety was provided by his sister Anna Kirk.

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Ms Kirk accompanied the accused yesterday for his third court appearance, when his solicitor Kenneth Cunningham said that, as a result of his “changed occupational status”, Mr Vollrath came under the Department of Justice’s remit for qualification for legal aid. This was granted by Judge David Kennedy.