The jury in the Deirdre Morley trial has retired last night after failing to reach a verdict.
It is understood the jury members have sought clarity on a number of issues. Deliberations will continue today. Ms Morley is accused of murdering her children – the court heard that she met the threshold of insanity as her defence. The court heard that she had experienced deteriorating mental health in the years before the tragedy, with “severe” symptoms reported in the preceding months.
Deirdre Morley has pleaded not guilty to murdering her three young children at their family home in Dublin over a year ago by reason of insanity. Her three young children, Conor McGinley, 9, Darragh McGinley, 7, and Carla McGinley, 3, were killed at their home in Parson’s Court, Newcastle, Co Dublin, on January 24 last year.
Although the court heard that she did know what she was doing when killing her children, she believed that she was saving her children from a life of pain caused by her mental illness, which she believed she had passed on to them. Dr Brenda Wright, consultant psychiatrist, said the mental health difficulties suffered by Ms Morley had developed into a major depressive disorder by January last year. Dr Wright said it is her view that Ms Morley “has a mental disorder” as defined in the Criminal Law Act.
The jury will continue its deliberations today.
Need help? If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article or would like to access support or information, please see the links below to valuable resources:
- Pieta House Tel: 1800 247 247 or text Help to 51444 (pieta.ie)
- Aware – Tel: 1800 80 48 48 (aware.ie)
- The Samaritans – Tel: 116 123 or email [email protected] (samaritans.ie)
- Text 50808 – Text Hello to 50808 (text50808.ie)
- Mental Health Ireland (mentalhealhireland.ie)
- Jigsaw (jigsaw.ie)
