Barr Tribunal: A combination of the late Mr John Carthy's bipolar disorder, his personality and a "cascade" of major life events culminated in the events at Abbeylara, during which he was shot dead by gardaí in April 2000, the tribunal heard.
Prof Thomas Fahy, professor of forensic mental health at Kings College London, who was commissioned by the Chief State Solicitor's office on behalf of the Garda Commissioner to write a report on the events, gave evidence yesterday.
Asked by the chairman, Mr Justice Barr, whether Mr Carthy had really intended the gardaí to shoot him when he invited them to do so, or whether he was "taunting them", Prof Fahy said it seemed this was mainly a "provocative statement".
But it was an indication of a depressive state that he cared so little for his own life that he would invite people to kill him. Mr Carthy was suffering from "a sort of stew" of different emotions at the time, including irritability, anger and depression. He had lost his job and his relationship in a "double whammy" of life events.
He was in agreement with diagnoses that Mr Carthy suffered from bipolar affective disorder. However, at the time of the siege, when Mr Carthy was undergoing a hypomanic mood swing, there may also have been underlying episodes of depression.
Asked whether Mr Carthy might have been irritated by not having access to cigarettes, Prof Fahy said his own view was that the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine would probably have been overwhelmed by the severity of symptoms of his illness.
He said he could not truthfully answer whether the fact that Mr Carthy failed to get cigarettes had an impact on his level of aggression.
He said he believed "personality issues" were a factor and his own explanation was that it was a "coalition" of Mr Carthy's bipolar disorder, his personality and a series of life events that culminated in the outcome of events at Abbeylara.
He said the only "red herring" in Mr Carthy's diagnosis was the issue of alcohol. He suggested that drink was "perhaps a greater problem" than had previously been recorded.
The expert witness said it appeared nobody had recorded a detailed alcohol consumption history from Mr Carthy in the months before the siege. It was not clear that Mr Carthy ever experienced features of alcohol dependency, although his drinking pattern suggested a pattern of alcohol abuse and possibly dependency, Prof Fahy said.
There was evidence that patients with bipolar disorder drink more and that they enjoy the disinhibition and further elation that goes with alcohol. Patients in a hypomanic phase of illness also generally exhibited increased appetites for food, drink and sex.
Prof Fahy will continue his evidence today.