The senior management of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) has made a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman alleging gardaí forced entry into the facility last week and assaulted three staff members. The CMH is a secure hospital, run by the HSE, which serves as the State’s only facility for severely mentally-ill people accused or convicted of crimes. This resulted in a three-hour stand-off between gardaí and staff before officers eventually entered the grounds of the facility and the staff agreed to admit the man. It is understood gardaí involved strongly dispute the version of events detailed in the complaint. “Admitting the man while at capacity is a danger to his safety and the safety of others,” said one staff member.

Source: The Irish Times March 24, 2021 03:43 UTC