Man pleads not guilty to Sligo murder by reason of insanity

A 32-year-old man has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of a 20-year-old in Sligo in February 2018. The Central Criminal Court heard that the accused admitted carrying out the fatal attack with a crowbar at a residential address on Connolly Street. The defence conceded that the deceased was entirely innocent and that the accused held delusional beliefs about the victim with no basis in reality. The sole issue for the jury concerns the mental state of the accused at the time of the killing. The prosecution indicated that psychiatric evidence will be presented alongside garda testimony. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Carmel Stewart with a jury of eight men and four women, is expected to conclude within two days.