Sir, - A report in your paper (April 4th) indicates that the Schizophrenia Association of Ireland takes the view that the recent trial of Brendan O'Donnell has been a setback to their work of trying to reduce the stigma attaching to the particular disorder that they are concerned with.
I take the opposite view that in standing trial and making a defence Brendan O'Donnell has done a service to the mentally ill, to service providers, to families, to the education system, to the custodial services, in the sense "that his whole tragic life (so far) was made into an open book and many people have been made to think in an unusually heightened way about their various roles. I certainly do not wish to pass judgment on anyone involved or any of the services or to accuse anyone of wrongdoing but I think that if there is even more inquiry and discussion some good will come out of it. I have no fears of a knee jerk reaction from the public. They are more sophisticated than that and have heard and seen enough to know that the issues involved are not simple.
I would like to point out that both the defence and prosecution adopted the tactics of heaping infamy on Brendan O'Donnell's head all through the trial and in a very formal way he was branded as a monster, evil and depraved. I do not believe that he is any of these things nor even "unattractive" as was said of him during the trial. Certainly he has done a lot of damage but he is still alive and he is a young man. So I hope that the Government, the prison authorities and the Central Mental Hospital, who between them will be responsible for his welfare, will devise some way to give his life in future the quality it has lacked up until now.
Finally, I wish to make it plain that Brendan O'Donnell is not a member of this organisation nor has he asked me to make any representation on his behalf. However, as I said to him in a letter over a year ago, he is welcome to join if he considers it useful and appropriate to do so. - Yours, etc..
Secretary,
IrishMental Patients'
Educational and
Representative Organisation,
Jenkinstown,
Dundalk,
Co Louth.