A 75-year-old man jailed for raping his granddaughter is to be assessed to determine whether he was fit to be tried at the time of his trial more than a year ago. Prior to Redmond’s sentence hearing, he was assessed by a consultant forensic psychiatrist from the Central Mental Hospital, who found him to be suffering from a significant cognitive impairment. The report concluded that Redmond’s cognitive decline could leave him vulnerable to other prisoners. The Court of Appeal heard that Redmond did not initially respond when he was asked to plead to the first count on the indictment. Mr Sexton said Redmond was currently in the Midlands Prison in a cell with another individual.

Source: The Irish Times April 02, 2019 14:26 UTC