A man accused of murdering both his parents told gardai he had been subjected to child sexual abuse from his father, a jury in the Central Criminal Court heard yesterday.
Mr Martin Doherty (27), St Lelia Street, Limerick has denied that on September 21st 1998 he murdered retired Garda William Doherty (58) and his wife Teresa (50) at their home in Monadreen, Thurles, Co Tipperary.
Giving evidence for the prosecution, Sgt John Lowrey, of Henry Street Garda station, Limerick, told the court that 10 days before the killing of both his parents, the accused had made the allegation but had not filed a complaint. Sgt Lowrey said the accused told him he had attended Clonmel Mental Institution in 1996, that he had been on anti-depressants ever since but had given them up because he was getting flashbacks.
Sgt Lowrey said Mr Doherty claimed the flashbacks were snippets of memories from when he was four years old of his father forcing him to masturbate himself in front of him. "He said he couldn't develop the point more and wanted to talk to someone about it," Sgt Lowrey told the court.
Mr Doherty couldn't "recall" any further details or any other episodes, Sgt Lowrey said. "I then left and dialled the number of the Rape Crisis Centre and got a recorded message" about opening hours.
"I wrote the telephone number on paper" and advised him to return to discuss the matter further, he said. Mr Doherty said he "felt relieved he'd spoken to me and would return on Sunday night" but didn't, Sgt Lowrey said.
Five days later the accused returned to the station and said he had attended a psychiatric ward in the Regional Hospital, had spoken to someone there and now wished to withdraw the allegation, he said.
Sgt Lowrey said the accused walked into the station on the second occasion "a different person, a much livelier person, and said: `That story about flashbacks, that was all lies and I'm sorry for wasting your time. If I made a complaint I'd like to withdraw it'. "
"I said you didn't make a complaint," Sgt Lowrey said.
In cross-examination, the witness said the accused was "definitely down in himself" when he first entered the station. "When he came back on Wednesday he was a different person, a much livelier person."
He said the accused told him the flashbacks originated from a time when he was "four or five" and then he said "definitely nearer to four". Sgt Lowrey, who said he had 28 years' experience of dealing with the public, agreed with Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, that he found it "hard to believe he got flashbacks to age four", and that for a child that age to masturbate would be "biologically impossible". "I found it unbelievable, my Lord," he said.
Previously the court heard that Mr and Mrs Doherty had lived in their bungalow in Thurles with one of their three sons. The accused was no longer living at home and on the day of the killings he had travelled from Limerick where he had purchased a large kitchen knife. Mr Patrick Gageby SC, for the prosecution, had said the accused stabbed his father and when his mother came into the room, he stabbed her as well.
Reading from a statement later given to gardai, Mr Gageby said the accused said when he went into his old bedroom that day his father was lying on the bed listening to the radio and had given him a "strange look".
"When he saw the knife he knew he was going to die. I stabbed him in the arms and belly and anywhere I could get him. [When Mrs Doherty came into the room] I stabbed her in the belly and anywhere I could get her. It was the best night of my life and I'm glad I did it."
After killing both parents, the statement said the accused washed, changed his clothes, had a cup of tea and a cheese sandwich and later inflicted further injuries on the by now probably dead couple.
The trial before Mr Justice Murphy and a jury of six men and six women continues today.