A woman who threatened to kill or seriously harm a clinic staff member has been released on bail to be committed to the Central Mental Hospital.
Clare Doyle (42), previously of Albert Park, Sandycove, Dublin, was a patient in Cluan Mhuire, Blackrock, when she threatened a clinical psychiatrist, Ms Máiréad Doyle, with a knife and a scissors on March 16th, 2004.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was convicted by a jury of four men and eight women at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on November 16th, 2004.
Judge Michael White said the case was highly unusual, as Doyle had been declared fit to plead to the charges, but it was now confirmed she was suffering from severe mental illness and was so when she committed the offences.
Det Garda Neil Randles told Mr Desmond Zaidan, prosecuting, that Ms Máiréad Doyle was treating Clare Doyle weekly for "alleged urges to harm children". She arrived at the clinic unannounced on March 16th, 2004, and threatened the doctor with a knife. The doctor restrained her and called for help.
Det Garda Randles said a maintenance man began to walk her out of the building. She took scissors from her handbag and again threatened the doctor. The man restrained her.
Her former husband, Mr Derek Doyle, gave moving evidence at the sentencing hearing about her descent into mental illness as a result of their son's psychiatric problems.
He described her as "a beautiful girl, not an aggressive girl" who had been slow to accept the fact that their child was unlikely to recover from schizophrenia and Asperger's Syndrome.
He had nothing but admiration for the way she had fought "tooth and nail" for her son in a situation where the facilities for children's mental welfare were deplorable. He said he was shocked by what had happened as she had never been a confrontational or aggressive person.
Mr Colman Fitzgerald SC, defending, said committal to the Central Mental Hospital was best for his client, and she felt she was benefiting from treatment.
Judge White said Doyle should be dealt with under a committal order and treated in accordance with medical recommendations before criminal proceedings against her were finalised. The case will be reviewed by the court on July 22nd.