Stabbing tragedy: Son left care ‘too soon’
Monday, September 19, 2011
THE family of a young man who is believed to have stabbed his mother to death had tried to have him placed in psychiatric care in recent weeks.
Paul Henry, aged 25, is currently in Garda custody on suspicion of killing his mother, Ann, in Roscommon town on Saturday. Ms Henry, 47, who up until two years ago had worked as an account clerk for a local chemist’s, had started her second year of a course at Athlone Institute of Technology last Tuesday.
She was found in a collapsed state on the roadway outside her home at Abbeytown housing estate at around 2.30pm on Saturday.
Neighbours called for help but it is understood it took 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
It is also understood the ambulance remained outside the rented house for some time as emergency service staff treated Ms Henry.
They were later joined by additional emergency staff and a doctor. She was later pronounced dead at the scene and her body was taken to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe. It is understood Ms Henry had been staying at the house in Roscommon with her son, Paul.
It is believed he has spent time in Loughlin House and Castlerea Prison for motoring offences such as driving without tax and insurance.
It is understood he was placed in a psychiatric unit in Roscommon earlier in the summer but was released after three weeks, despite requests by family members that he receive continuing care.
Concerns had been raised in recent weeks about his behaviour. Sohail Butt, a member of the Association of Professional Counsellors, said he was familiar with the case and had attempted to help the family have Paul placed in psychiatric care as recently as the week before last.
"Ongoing care was not provided," Mr Butt said. "He was let out with a prescription and that was it. He refused to take it."
He added that Paul’s behaviour had been "extremely erratic" and that his family had wanted him placed in care, but that would have needed an application made in court. "We never got that far," Mr Butt said.
A postmortem was carried out on Ms Henry’s body yesterday.
Paul is being held by gardaí in Roscommon last night under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Meanwhile, gardaí were last night stepping up their inquiries into the death of Don Geasley, 42, in Macroom, Co Cork, on Friday.
The unemployed man died after an apparent assault in the town and a man in his 30s who was questioned in Bandon Garda Station was released without charge.
Mr Geasley was originally from Cork city and had been living for the past year at the rented house at Masseytown in Macroom where his body was found.
Gardaí believe he died as a result of injuries sustained in an assault. One avenue of inquiry is that Mr Geasley knew his attacker, and had attended a house party with up to seven other people on Wednesday evening.
Gardaí are appealing to people who saw Mr Geasley in Macroom between 6pm on Wednesday and 10am on Thursday to contact them at 026 20590.
Picture: A garda outside the Henry house in Roscommon.
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