Mary Coughlan said if she could sit with her son Gearoid in a safe environment, she would 'give him a big hug and tell him we all love him. I understand that his illness was the cause of this'
A woman who suffered catastrophic, life-long injuries after her son attempted to murder her has hit out at "inadequate" community health services that she said are unable to deal with complex mental illness.
Speaking outside court today after Gearoid was sentenced to ten years in prison, Ms Coughlan said: "Unfortunately the mental health services in Ireland are inadequate to care for complex mental illnesses in the community." She said schizophrenia has "robbed my son of so much and caused untold sadness in our family."
Mr Justice McDermott said Coughlan lacks insight into his illness and does not understand that to avoid further relapses he needs to take prescribed medication and avoid alcohol and illicit drugs. Before today's sentencing, Coughlan's barrister Alice Fawsitt SC told the court that her client wants to be returned to prison rather than the CMH. His reasons, counsel said, include that he cannot smoke in the hospital and he has only restricted access to the gym. He promised to take his medication and to undergo urinalysis to establish that he is drug-free, Ms Fawsitt said.
He does not appreciate the benefits of medication and does not understand that previous failures to take his medication led to relapses. He also believes that cannabis use is beneficial. Given his lack of insight, Mr Justice McDermot said there is a high probability that on release into the community Coughlan will deteriorate and pose a risk of violence to others.
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