Murder accused described 'waiting in long grass' for wife

At the Central Criminal Court, a man charged with murder at Kilbree Lower, Westport, Co Mayo has admitted killing his wife but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The accused described to gardaí how he waited in long grass before attacking his wife in June 2019, using a knife and his bare hands. He told officers the assault was a frenzied attack during which he experienced paranoid delusions, believing surveillance was occurring and that people were watching him. Defence evidence from a consultant forensic psychiatrist outlined the accused's lengthy history of cannabis use, including consumption of a high-THC strain in the weeks before the death. The psychiatrist testified that such cannabis use can induce psychosis in predisposed individuals. The prosecution's case has closed, and the trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury.