A MAN who stabbed a woman in the head because "voices" told him to kill her, shook hands with a judge yesterday when his case was adjourned a day before the anniversary of the attack.
Former psychiatric patient James Mansfield (44), undertook to live under supervision at Dublin's Morning Star hostel, not to approach the victim, to attend St Brendan's day care centre and the AA, and to abstain from alcohol. Mansfield shook hands with Judge Joseph Mathews and thanked him before leaving Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. He is to appear again on July 25th.
Judge Mathews said because of the medical background and the full work done by the probation service, he did not want to finalise the case. He would monitor Mansfield's progress. The judge also said he was most concerned for the victim and he thanked her for her attendance at every hearing.
Earlier this year, Mansfield, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, occasioning her actual bodily harm, on March 20th, 1996. Immediately after the unprovoked attack near Phibsboro Post Office in Dublin, Mansfield dropped the knife and went to Mountjoy Garda station.
He was a former psychiatric patient and had 35 convictions for drunkenness and public order offences, Sgt Morgan Martin had told Mr Tom O'Connell, prosecuting. Sgt Martin said the victim's injuries, which needed one stitch, were slight. However, she was still suffering psychological trauma and had difficulty speaking about the incident. She had only recently resumed working.
In his statement, Mansfield said he had never seen the woman before the assault. He heard voices and he thought she was talking to, him. The voices were telling him to kill her and when he lashed out, he meant to kill. She screamed and the knife broke. He then ran off Mansfield told gardai.
Mr Charles Corcoran, defending, described the case as "sad and traumatic". He asked the court to approach it with a view to helpings the defendant instead of imposing, a penalty. His client came from a family background of extreme poverty and mental instability.