A judge has ordered that Kathleen Bell, a Galway woman convicted of the manslaughter of her lover, should attend counselling and treatment for alcohol abuse before she is sentenced. In March, a jury accepted that Bell was provoked into killing her lover, Mr Patrick Sammon, by abusive remarks he made which triggered memories of childhood sexual abuse.
Yesterday, in the Central Criminal Court, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness postponed sentence and agreed with defence counsel that a treatment and counselling regime was preferable to imprisonment. She ordered a psychologist Bell is attending to report back in January 2000. The judge also recommended that the Western Health Board pick up the bill for treatment which a private practitioner, Ms Helen Greally, has so far provided without payment. She said she was "bearing in mind the cost of keeping a person in custody".
Ms Justice McGuinness said she could not make an order, but was happy to recommend, that the health board see its way to paying for the treatment, which it might otherwise have to provide an alternative to.
Kathleen Bell agreed to attend weekly counselling for the next two years and further counselling for up to five years, as well as attending an alcohol treatment course with a health board worker.
In March, Bell (36), of Camilaun Park, Newcastle, Co. Galway, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Patrick Sammon (42) at her house in Camilaun Park on June 20th, 1997.
She admitted she stabbed Mr Sammon six times in the chest and shoulder after an argument. The jury accepted that she did not intend to kill or cause him serious injury and "just lost control" when he made the remarks that triggered memories of sexual abuse.
The case was put back to January 14th, 2000.
