AN inquiry to decide if a man found guilty but insane of two murders seven years ago should be freed from the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, is to be mentioned again in the High Court in two weeks. A date for the hearing is expected to be fixed then.
Mr John Gallagher (29), of Lifford, Co Donegal, was found guilty but insane of the murder of his former girlfriend, Ms Anne Gillespie (18), and her mother, Mrs Annie Gillespie, in the grounds of Sligo General Hospital in 1988.
A week ago, the High Court was told that Dr Charles Smith, director of the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin, had advised that he could not justify Mr Gallagher's continued detention there on grounds of his "imminent dangerousness".
Mr Gallagher claims the Minister for Justice can no longer form the view that he was suffering from any mental disorder as there was no evidence of it.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Kelly said the case was urgent, important and complex. He proposed to list it with priority. Inevitably, it would be the beginning of the next legal term, which starts on June 5th.