A man who used a granite stone and a cement block to beat his grandfather to death outside his home in the Donegal Gaeltacht has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity by the majority verdict of a Central Criminal Court jury.
The panel accepted the evidence of two psychiatrists that 39-year-old Derek Mulligan was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia when he killed his grandfather a...
The case of Derek Mulligan highlights the complex intersection of mental health, trauma, and criminal responsibility. His history of sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted figure may have played a role in his mental state leading up to the murder of his grandfather. The decision to find him not guilty by reason of insanity raises questions about the adequacy of our justice system in addressing such cases, particularly given the often traumatic and long-term impacts of childhood sexual abuse. Fur...