A 38-year-old man accused of murdering his mother was found guilty but insane at the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
A unanimous verdict was returned on Kevin Bridgeman who had pleaded not guilty to murdering Marie Bridgeman (56) near their home at Mill Estate, Ratoath, Co Meath.
The jury heard evidence from three psychiatrists that Bridgeman was suffering from chronic paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the killing on January 21st, 2003.
Ms Bridgeman was a well-known Dublin brothel keeper. She was convicted in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for running a brothel in Dublin's Wexford Street in 1999, which had been in operation for five years. She had one earlier conviction in 1998 and at the time of her death was being investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau.
The court heard that Kevin Bridgeman is a chronic paranoid schizophrenic who suffers from delusions and a persecution complex. He sat expressionless with arms folded as the jury returned the verdict and just nodded when Mr Justice White ordered him to be detained at the Government's pleasure in the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum.
The two-day trial hinged on the central issue of whether he was insane at the time he killed his mother. Three psychiatrists testified that he was. Dr Mona Kilduff, consultant psychiatrist at St Vincent's Hospital, Fairview, told the jury she began treating the accused from May 2001 after she took over from Dr Brian McCaffery. Dr Kilduff said from his case notes it was apparent that Bridgeman had a "long standing history of chronic paranoid schizophrenia" from at least 1992 and maybe since 1990.
He had a history of self-harm, was delusional and displayed acute persecution symptoms.
He had been admitted to psychiatric institutions on numerous occasions since the mid-1980s, once for a period of five months.
Dr McCaffery said in his opinion the accused was "quite insane" at the time of the killing, and would not have known that what he was doing was wrong.
Dr McCaffrey assessed Bridgeman in the Central Mental Hospital where he was detained after the murder, and found his behaviour bizarre.
When Dr McCaffrey asked him about the murder, he replied: "It was either her or me."
Dr McCaffrey said that Bridgeman "fitted perfectly" the pattern for matricide carried out by young schizophrenic men.
Dr McCaffrey was asked if he believed Bridgeman was legally sane when he killed his mother. "No, he was quite insane at the time," he replied.
Releasing the jury from further service for 10 years, Mr Justice White said this was a very tragic case.