THERE was "no earthly reason" why he would not want Mr Brendan O'Donnell to be schizophrenic, the head of the Central Mental Hospital told the Central Criminal Court on the 46th day of the O'Donnell trial yesterday.
Dr Charles Smith stood over his view that Mr O'Donnell has a mixture of personality disorders, not schizophrenia. He told Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, he would have "major problems" in treating schizophrenia if he did not think it was schizophrenia.
In his view, Mr O'Donnell represented a "really serious management problem". Changing the diagnosis won't after that, Dr Smith said. "I don't think I'm finished with Brendan O'Donnell simply because I don't regard him as schizophrenic."
Mr O'Donnell (21), a native of Co Clare, has denied the murder of Imelda Riney (29) and her son Liam (3) and of Father Joseph Walsh (37), former curate of Eyrecourt, Co Galway, in 1994 and the false imprisonment of Father Walsh.
He has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping Ms Fiona Sampson and Mr Edward Cleary and to hijacking vehicles driven by them. He has also denied having a shotgun and ammunition with intent to endanger life and for unlawful purposes.
The trial was adjourned yesterday afternoon after one of the jurors became unwell. Mr Justice Lavan arranged for the juror to be taken home. He told the other 11 jurors he was satisfied on medical advice the trial should not proceed. He asked all 12 jurors to return to court on Monday.
In court yesterday, Mr MacEntee read medical notes from the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, regarding Mr O'Donnell's treatment there from January 1995. He was discharged from the hospital and sent back to Mountjoy Prison. He was returned to Dundrum just days later after he had seriously cut his arm and then interfered with the stiches.
Several of the notes read to the court detailed Mr O'Donnell telling doctors he was hearing voices and experiencing auditory hallucinations. Other notes recorded he exhibited a depressed mood.
Some of the notes recorded Mr O'Donnell not hearing voices and appearing to improve.
Dr Smith agreed Mr O'Donnell had spoken in January 1995 of a man's voice telling him to cut his wrist and burn all the Christmas trees in Ireland. He agreed that after being treated with Largactyl Mr O'Donnell had shown signs of improvement. Largactyl was a tranquilliser used to treat conditions other than psychosis.
The witness agreed a note from January 1995 stated that suicide precautions were important in relation to Mr O'Donnell.
At this time Mr O'Donnell was kept in a single room with no bedding that could be torn up and used for ligatures. There was also no furniture and precautions were taken to reduce the risk of self injury and self poisoning.
He was also being looked after by special staff. Two staff were assigned to him during the day and one at night. He was their sole responsibility.
Dr Smith said Mr O'Donnell was locked up for extended periods, sometimes weeks on end and for 23 hours a day.
Mr MacEntee read notes recording that Mr O'Donnell said he was hearing voices talking about him and other notes in which Mr O'Donnell was observed shouting at voices to go away.
He put to the witness these were classic symptoms of schizophrenia. Dr Smith agreed they were but said not in isolation. He agreed Mr O'Donnell seemed to be improving in February 1995. He agreed Largactyl was a good drug to use to address symptoms of auditory hallucinations.
He said he had noted in April 1995 that Mr O'Donnell admitted the killings and insisted he was under the influence of auditory hallucinations. Dr Smith said he had noted the probable diagnosis "remains borderline".
It was his view Mr O'Donnell had pockets of illness but also enormous personal aggression which culminated in the killings. "It is not schizophrenia that he has."