Ughamadu pleads guilty to charges
A Nigerian national whose detention for several days in a Garda cell was found to be unlawful is being assessed by the Psychiatric unit of the Midwestern Regional hospital after being freed by the District Court.
John Ughamadu came to the attention of the authorities after he was found at the Redemptorists church almost naked in a crib during Christmas. He was before the court on Thursday.
Efforts to secure a bed at the Central Mental Hospital were unsuccessful and Gardai were forced to hold him in one of their cells.
This was ruled by the high court to be unlawful, and as such, he was moved to a room at the Quality Hotel.
A bed was eventually found for him after a row erupted between the District Court judge Tom O’Donnell and the CMH.
After several orders by the court, a consultant at the hospital gave evidence on 13 February.
Helen O’Niell said of Ughamadu, “His thinking, perceptions, emotions and judgements were impaired,” She also described his condition as a bi-polar disorder. However, she did say that after two weeks of treatment, he was fit to plead in his case, a conclusion which was contested by solicitor Ted McCarthy, representing him.
Judge Tom O’Donnell was less than pleased at the CMH on the day.
I find it extremely disturbing that I had to put this matter back on a number of occasions. I feel this court has got off on the wrong foot with the CMH.”
“I am firmly of the view had this man been brought to the CMH as first ordered last month, we would not have brought a respected consultant kicking and screaming down here. I feel it has been an absolute struggle and absolutely unnecessary,
On Wednesday, Professor Harry Kennedy claimed that Ughamadu exaggerated his mental illness at times. the court heard how he would have an “episode” like someone would have the flu. This was in conflict with the evidence given earlier by Ms O’Niell
Having heard the evidence, Judge O’Donnell surmised that Ughamadu had “suffered enough” and released him whereupon he was brought to the Regional for assessment.
The initial reports of this case today made it look very bad for Ughamadu, but it is clear that the circumstances of this case were exaserbated even further by the dilly-dallying and conflicts of evidence given by members of staff from the CMH.
By the way, I have removed any “bloody foreigners” type comments as his nationality is irrelavent.
March 1st, 2008 at 10:21 am
This country needs to understand that a mental illness is an illlness and through the correct procedures can be cured.
March 1st, 2008 at 6:22 pm
yes i agree his nationality is irrelivent
the point i was trying to make is as follows
if it had been an irish man in nigeria you can be sure he would be deported or sentenced to a long stay in prision
regardless of his mental health he should be deported
March 1st, 2008 at 6:25 pm
and by the way blah blah blah
some mental illness cannot be cured
havent you ever heard of murders being commited by the so called ciminaly insane haing being released from mental intitutions previously
March 1st, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hazel
You obvously havn’t got a clue. A Irish man in Nigeria would not be be homeless or in need of medical care. White men are not deported from Africa but repatriated.
I don’t have the stats to hand but I would imagine there isn’t too many non religious Irish men leaving this country for a life in Nigeria.
March 1st, 2008 at 11:16 pm
mickeys mickey i think hazels trying to make the piont that if your a foreighn national living in this country you should observe the laws of the land.and if you break them you should be sent back to where you have come from .its her piont of view which she is entitled to so dont be so quick to ridicule her .also i would like to piont out the man was not homeless he was living in a hotel theres not many foreighn nationals sleeping in doorways or in parks.
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
thankyou old dubliner
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
hazel you are correct in the fact that some mental illnesses are incurable but i reckon the vast majority of them are cureable.Sometimes all thats needed is kindness.
March 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Shish here I go again. An other lesson on how to win friend and influence idiots.
Hazel may indeed be entitled to “ her point of view” and within this logic so am I and it just happens that my point of view is that Hazel hasn’t got a clue. If anyone wants to offer their opinion and I think it is ridiculous then I believe they are open to ridicule or fair game in other words. Think before you hit the return key.
This argument of people being sent back to where they came from is a load of old bollocks in my point of view. This was a major argument in British polictics recently. It brought down Charles Clarke who resigned from the Home Office. This department was then split in two and recently many foreign prisoners were deported to relieve the overcrowded prisons in the UK. The fact that many were released early may dampen the cheers of the reactionaries of LB.
What I wonder is why do Hazel et al what the Irish government to follow the policies of the British Conservitive Party?
We have sanctions for offenders set out by legislation and court practice. These reactionary comments are thoughtless for many reasons. Here is just a few for those of you who are clueless.
1. This is Ireland not Britain.
2. If the offender is an Asylum Seeker or, after seeking asylum, is granted refugee status the he or she has rights to stay in this country laid down by international convention (Geneva). This means that they are entitled to stay in Ireland no matter what happens. Effectively they are Irish.
3. If the offender is engaged in employment or education then their employer/educator would be out of pocket. Where would you suggest the line be drawn? Would all offenders be sent back? Should they people lose employment, education or even their lives because they committed minor offences?
4. By old dubliner’s logic an offender from Limerick working in Dublin would be sent back to the city. (many of us are from somewhere else) Will this work?
5. Hazel is a well know for dubious comments relating to foreigners on this site.
Old Dubliner you go on about this man not being homeless. This statement exposes your ignorance. John Ughamadu was staying the hotel because his detention in a Gardai cell was proved to be illegal. The court has ruled that he be sent to the Central Mental Hospital but no beds were available. For your information, just because he was a resident in a hotel does not change his status as homeless. One does not have to be sleeping on the street to be deemed homeless. There are thousands homeless people in this state staying in hostels, shelters, B&Bs, friends houses etc.
How the hell do you know “theres not many foreighn nationals sleeping in doorways or in parks.”? Have you completed a study on this or will you cite your reference for this statement. I doubt if you will because you just pulled it out of you ear.
March 3rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Mental illness is treatable not curable bi polar formally known as manic depression is not curable but manageable through medication and therapy.