A Mayo man currently serving a five-year prison sentence for rape has been sentenced to an additional five years, to run consecutively, after being convicted of poisoning two elderly women neighbours.
Imposing sentence at Westport Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, Judge Kevin Haugh stated that John Hope (52), a bachelor farmer from Bonniconlon village, Ballina, was a very dangerous man and a menace to society. Mr John Jordan, for the DPP, said both victims fell unconscious for two days after taking a drink from Hope, who visited them in their homes.
The drinks were believed to be spiked with a hypnotic sedative drug, Temazepan, also known as Normazon, which Hope's elderly mother had been taking on a prescription basis since 1995.
"This is an extraordinary case of how Mr Hope administered poison to Ms Belinda Kelly, Rathreedane, Bonniconlon, on October 9th, 1998, and to Ms Celia Walsh, Carranglough, Bonniconlon, five days later on October 13th, 1998," said Judge Haugh.
"Having been interviewed by gardai in relation to these charges around about the 14th November 1998 and having been warned to keep away from the alleged victims, the accused then went out and raped a woman on November 21st, 1998.
"Rightly, it seemed to the jury, that his motive for poisoning these ladies could not be ascertained, but in the light of what happened on November 21st there is a temptation there to speculate as to what his intention was.
"However, I must resist from drawing this conclusion as I am not entitled to by law."
He said: "It is that attitude of going out and reoffending for which consecutive sentences should be imposed and I consider it appropriate to do this here."
Judge Haugh imposed a two-year sentence for the poisoning of Belinda Kelly, to begin at the expiration of the five-year rape sentence, and a three-year sentence for the poisoning of Celia Walsh, to begin on the expiration of that two-year sentence.
The guilty verdicts were returned by a jury of 10 women and two men, who also returned two verdicts of not guilty on charges against Hope of poisoning two other elderly women in the village, Ms Teresa Connaughton, Knocroe, Bonniconlon, and Ms Tina Kavanagh, Saltfield, Bonniconlon.
The trial lasted five days.