The jury in the murder trial of Saverio Bellante has found him not guilty by reason of insanity.
The 36 year old from Sicily had denied murder but admitted killing his landlord, Tom O'Gorman, at the home they shared in Beech Park, Castleknock in January 2014.
Bellante hit the religious affairs writer with a dumbbell and stabbed him after a row over a game of chess. During the short trial, the court heard distressing evidence, detailing how part of the victim's lung had been eaten.
Two consultant psychiatrists testified that Mr Bellante was suffering from schizophrenia at the time, and that he fulfilled the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Dr Stephen Monks said he'd stopped taking anti-psychosis drugs on January 9th under doctor’s supervision, but that his own doctor in Palermo had previously told him he’d need the medication for the rest of his life.
In her summing up, Judge Margaret Heneghan told the jury that all the evidence pointed one way, and– that Saverio Bellante did not have the necessary guilty mind to commit the crime of murder.
