Courthouse attacker claimed he heard voices

A 26-year-old man claimed he was hearing voices when he and others became embroiled in a violent fracas outside Galway Courthouse, which culminated in two other men getting stabbed.

Michael Darcy, 15 Ashlawn, Loughrea, refused to answer questions when taken to Galway Garda Station immediately after the incident.

He was disruptive and refused to sit in a chair. He lay on the floor instead, insisting he had little or no recollection of the incident and had been hearing voices, his sentence hearing at Galway Circuit Criminal Court heard last week.

Darcy pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court last February to committing affray at or near the Courthouse on November 25, 2015, by using or threatening to use violence against Martin and Brian Mongan, thereby putting other people present in fear for their safety.

Sentence was adjourned to this week for the preparation of a psychiatric report on Darcy.

Garda Pat Costello told the sentence hearing that a large altercation occurred near the front steps of the Courthouse at around 11am on the date in question.

He said he arrived at the scene and found two brothers, Martin and Brian Mongan, suffering from stab wounds. They were removed to hospital by ambulance.

CCTV footage from the Courthouse showed Darcy initially getting involved in a fight with Martin Mongan in Courthouse Square and then his brother, Brian Mongan, and two other men got involved in the fight, resulting in the Mongan brothers receiving stab wounds.

Garda Costello said that from viewing the CCTV, he ascertained Martin Mongan and Darcy had a verbal altercation in the lobby of the Courthouse first and Darcy following Mongan outside where both of them engaged in a fist fight.

The fight continued for two to three minutes before three other man joined in. Shortly after that, the stabbing incident occurred, Garda Costello explained.

The Mongan brothers were badly injured, he said, and they ran back into the Courthouse lobby.

Darcy’s barrister said his client had asked to be seen by a doctor on a number of occasions during Garda interviews and had told Gardai he was hearing voices at the time.

The barrister said a psychiatric report which had been handed into court indicated Darcy suffered from “difficulties” in that regard.

The court heard Darcy followed Mongan outside to fight him because he had made hurtful comments about his children and family.

Garda Costelloe said Darcy had 27 previous convictions going back over several years for motoring and public order offences and for theft.

The barrister said Darcy was on very strong medication to deal with his psychiatric difficulties and his partner had had a baby since his last court appearance in February.

He said Darcy only got into trouble with the law when he took alcohol with his medications.

A probation report indicated he posed a medium risk of reoffending.

Prosecuting barrister, Conor Fahy, said two other men, as well as the Mongan brothers, would be appearing before the court in due course in connection with the same incident.

Judge Rory McCabe said he was dealing with a man who had significant psychiatric issues and from the evidence presented to the court he was capable of violence at a high level if he didn’t take his medication or if he mixed it with alcohol.

“How can I deal with him so the public is protected? How is the court going to be satisfied that he understands the significance of this and they he needs to keep taking his medication?” Judge McCabe asked.

The barrister suggested that if a suspended sentence was imposed it could be structured so that Darcy would have to come under the supervision of the relevant services to ensure he kept taking his medications.

Judge McCabe said the offence merited a four-year sentence but given the early plea he said Darcy was entitled to some time off and he imposed a three-year sentence instead which he suspended for five years on condition Darcy come under the supervision of the probation service for twelve months and obey all of its directions.

“If you misbehave in the next five years you will be going to jail for three years,” the Judge warned Darcy.