A mentally ill man who killed his uncle because he believed the man was possessed by the devil was found guilty but insane at the Central Criminal Court today.
File picture of Mr John McInerney
John McInerney (52) from Bell Harbour, Co Clare, was charged with the murder of Sean Daly (82) on April 30th last year.
The jury heard evidence that McInerney was a schizophrenic who had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals on 16 different occasions.
On the night before the murder, he became extremely restless when he heard noises in the street outside the home he shared with his uncle and his elderly mother.
He believed the devil was trying to break into the house and armed himself with an axe and a stick with eight notches, which he believed had special powers.
In the morning he was still disturbed and wanted to go to a nearby Friary to explain the experience he had.
His mother became alarmed and left the house, where Mr Daly was still sleeping in bed. Mr McInerney then carried out a frenzied attack on the elderly man, using a hand axe, a splitting axe, the stick with eight notches and a pitchfork.
He told a neighbour afterwards: "I had to do it, I had to do it, the devil was in him."
After a one-hour trial, the jury returned a instant verdict of guilty but insane. Mr Justice Paul Carney ordered that Mr McInerney be detained in the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum, Co Dublin.