THE alleged attempted rape and killing of a young girl was not impelled by a Co Donegal man's mental illness, a forensic psychiatrist told the Central Criminal Court yesterday.
Dr Art O'Connor said he accepted Mr Patrick Granaghan was a mentally ill person, but he said he was also a person capable of committing a serious crime.
It was his view Mr Granaghan had committed such a crime. He believed the accused knew what he was doing at the time of the alleged sexual assault and killing of the 13 year old girl, that he knew it was wrong and that he could have stopped himself at any time.
"It was a criminal killing," he said. "He had a choice. He could have stopped if he wanted to.
Dr O'Connor accepted he had not interviewed Mr Granaghan - until January this year, unlike the director of the Central Mental Hospital, Dr Charles Smith, who had interviewed Mr Granaghan in April 1996, 10 days after the killing. Dr Smith has told the court that in his view the killing was illness driven.
Dr O'Connor agreed Mr Granaghan suffered from schizophrenia and the disease had been present for some time.
Dr O'Connor was giving evidence on the fourth day of the trial of Mr Granaghan (36), of Drumacrin Road, Bundoran, Co Donegal, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering a young girl in the town on April 14th, 1996.
The State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, has told the court the girl was sexually assaulted and had died of severe head injuries which caused multiple fractures of the skull. The injuries were consistent with the dropping of large stones on to the victim's head. Dr Harbison said he believed the young girl was alive when an attempted strangulation took place and the head injuries were, inflicted.
Evidence in the trial concluded yesterday and closing speeches will be made on Monday after which Mr Justice Carney will open his charge to the jury. The jury is expected to begin considering its verdict on Tuesday.
In court yesterday Dr O'Connor said he had interviewed Mr Granaghan in the Central Mental Hospital on four occasions, the first in January this year. He was in charge of the team at the CMH responsible for Mr Granaghan's treatment.
He said he believed Mr Granaghan's statement to gardai in relation to the offence was very important. This was "a straightforward, well put together, statement claiming he killed the girl and intended to have sex with her".
He said there was no special connection between schizophrenia and sexual crimes.
He accepted Mr Granaghan had fixed delusions including delusions that if he killed three women he would get 36 minutes off time in hell.
Dr O'Connor said he doubted if the killing of the girl was related to the delusions. It was his view the killing was related to a rape which went wrong because the girl struggled too much and threatened to tell her father, and anger on Mr Granaghan's part because he could not get an erection.
He said Mr Granaghan may also have had paedophiliac tendencies. He agreed there was no history of offending against children in the past.
Mr Granaghan had said in an interview with him (witness) that if the girl had had sex with him he would not have killed her.
Dr Charles Smith, director of the Central Mental Hospital, said it was unreasonable not to regard the killing of the girl as illness driven. All the evidence pointed to "rampant active illness" being present in Mr Granaghan at the time.