The murder trial of an Italian man who's admitted killing his Castleknock landlord resumes today.
Yesterday the court heard Saverio Bellante fulfills the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity.
The court heard Mr Bellante was suffering from schizophrenia and in the grips of acute psychosis at the time he killed Tom O’Gorman in January 2014.
At the outset of Saverio Bellante’s trial, the jury of 5 women and 7 men were told it would be brief as a number of admissions had been made by the accused.
The 36 year old Sicilian has admitted killing 39 year old Tom O’Gorman at the house they shared at Beechpark Avenue in Castleknock in January of last year after they got into a row over a game of chess.
The court heard a tape of a 999 call made by Mr Bellante wherein he said ‘Thomas is dead’ I killed him. With a knife.
The court also heard Mr Bellante ate part of what he thought to be the victim’s heart.
Psychiatrist, Dr Conor O’Neill, who was the first to assess Mr Bellante, said the accused was so mentally unwell after he was arrested that he had to be admitted to the Central Mental Hospital ahead of others on a waiting list.
Dr Stephen Monks told the court that Mr Bellante stopped taking anti-psychosis medication on January 9th, under doctor’s supervision, but that his own doctor in Sicily had earlier said he’d need medication for life.
Both doctors agreed that he fulfilled the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity.
