A PUBLICAN received psychiatric care after making a statement to gardai about dropping a can of petrol and lighting a match at his home on the night of a fire in which his wife and a child died, the Central Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Sgt Patsy Glennon said Mr Francis McCann had psychiatric care at a hospital after he completed a statement to gardai on November 6th, 1992. He agreed Mr McCann had cried during that interview, held his head in his hands and said he couldn't think.
Sgt Glennon said that during the interview, Mr McCann was told he was free to go as his Section 30 detention period had expired. He said Mr McCann had left, but returned voluntarily shortly afterwards after speaking with his solicitor and brothers.
The witness said when he was writing his statement of the interview he recalled some questions asked which were not actually recorded in the memorandum of the interview and he included these in his statement.
Sgt Glennon was being cross examined by Mr Barry White SC, defending, on the 32nd day of the trial of Mr McCann (36) who has denied the murders of his wife, Esther (36), and an 18 month old baby, Jessica, at the family home at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin, on September 4th, 1992.
The jury has heard Jessica was a blood relative of the defendant, but not a child of his marriage to Esther.
The prosecution claimed Mr McCann arranged the fatal fire because he did not want to tell his wife why the Adoption Board had refused the couple's application to adopt Jessica.
In court yesterday, Sgt Glennon agreed it was towards the close of the interview that Mr McCann had made references to having a can of petrol in his home.
He said Mr McCann later returned voluntarily to the interview room. He said Mr McCann's family were trying then to get him medical treatment. He was aware Mr McCann later had psychiatric care.
Det Sgt Pat Walsh said he had taken notes of interviews given by Mr McCann while in Tallaght Garda station on November 4th, 5th and 6th, 1992. He said in a statement on November 6th that Mr McCann had spoken about knocking a can of petrol over in the hallway of his home and of striking a match. Mr McCann had then spoken of "flames everywhere".
Cross examined by Mr White, he agreed a complete note of the interview on November 4th was not taken.
The trial continues today.