A priest appearing before Wexford Circuit Court on sexual abuse charges believed he was being charged with murder, the court was told yesterday.
The priest is currently on remand for treatment in the Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin.
The priest's trial had been due to begin last Monday. On that day he pleaded not guilty to 29 charges of sexual abuse, including one of buggery. Later, however, in the absence of the jury, legal argument was heard concerning his fitness to stand trial.
Judge Joseph Mathews ordered that he be remanded for treatment.
Yesterday morning when the jurors returned the judge told them that in the course of legal argument it had become apparent from submissions from counsel that the 45-year-old priest was unwell.
He said psychiatric evidence had been given and the priest had given evidence himself to the court.
The judge said it had become quite apparent that there was a question concerning his competence and that he had said he felt he was being charged with murder. "He felt that I, as a judge, was charging him with murder."
Judge Mathews had, on a point of law, decided to call another jury, and had been told it would not be possible to organise that for another three weeks.
This jury would decide on the priest's fitness to plead.
In the meantime he told the jury, before discharging it, that he had sent the priest to hospital.
A date is due to be set for the fitness-to-plead trial on March 23rd in Wexford Circuit Court.
The priest had been sent forward for trial from the District Court on 66 charges of sexual abuse and on Monday was arraigned on 29 charges: one of buggery, 12 of gross indecency, and 16 of indecent assault.
The offences were alleged to have taken place in Co Wexford between June 1981 and December 1987.