Native Irish speaker who bludgeoned grandfather to death committed to CMH

A 39-year-old man from Gweedore in County Donegal has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane following a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with the death of his grandfather in December 2023. Derek Mulligan faced charges of murder, criminal damage, making threats, and two counts of assault arising from incidents on 17 and 19 December 2023. A jury returned majority verdicts on all counts at the Central Criminal Court in late March, accepting psychiatric evidence that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offences. The victim, Derek Burns, aged 78, sustained fatal injuries during an assault at Carrickcoyle on 19 December 2023. Expert psychiatric testimony established that Mulligan had experienced auditory hallucinations for an extended period and had discontinued prescribed antipsychotic medication approximately three months before the incident. Medical evidence also documented his childhood sexual abuse and a documented history of mental health difficulties, self-harm, and suicide attempts. The release from prison of his abuser in 2021 reportedly contributed to significant deterioration in his mental state in the period preceding the offences. Following the jury verdicts, Justice Eileen Creedon accepted the medical evidence and issued a formal order of commitment to the designated centre. A consultant forensic psychiatrist informed the court that Mulligan continues to suffer from the mental disorder and requires ongoing inpatient psychiatric treatment. The case is notable as one of the first applications of the special verdict procedure in recent years, with both State and defence experts converging in their assessment of Mulligan's mental condition at the material time. The commitment ensures his continued care within the mental health system rather than the criminal justice system.